Trials and Turbulence
by Dragonknight1990
Summary: Takes place several years after the movie ends. Aurora's council demands that she marries a prince. She refuses, and that leads to horrific consequences. Can Maleficent save her this time and uphold her promise that no harm should come to her beastie for as long as she lives? Malora pairing will happen later.
1. Prologue

A/N: This is my first attempt at writing for the Maleficent fandom. It might turn out to be a Malora pairing, but I'm not quite sure yet. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with the pairing (quite the opposite, in fact, when it is well written). It is more that I have no experience writing non heterosexual pairings, so consider this an experimental fic as I flex those skills. Constructive criticism is always welcome, and I would love a beta for this.

_**Prologue**_

The warm summer air hung like a thick cloud over the Moors. It was suffocating. The protector looked out over the faery realm as she rested in her Rowan tree. She had just gone out on her daily patrol along the boarders. Despite the recent peace between the Moors and the human kingdom, she still felt the need to go on her patrols, and she would continue to do so until the day she died. Her wings twitched as her raven companion fluttered in front of her face.

"Oh fine! _Into a man_." She flicked her wrist at him, and he turned into a man mid-flight.

"Ack!" He exclaimed as he caught himself on a thick branch. He huffed as he pulled himself up. "You know, I hate it when you do that," he grumbled furtively.

"Perhaps you should stop annoying me then," she replied with a raised brow. "At least I did not turn you into a _dog_, or a _mealy worm_." A feint smile met her lips as she thought over those amusing images.

"Oh, that's a trick," he scoffed. "Everything annoys you." She noted how he seemed to ignore her teasing, and found that more amusing than if he had rose to the challenge.

"Not everything." She pursed her red lips in a sour expression. Silence did not annoy her, most of the time. Flying did not annoy her. Her beastie...well, that was a mixed bag.

"You should go see her," he said, and they both knew who he was talking about.

"Diaval, no." She tilted her head back and rested her horns against the trunk of her home. It had been nearly a year since she last laid eyes on the human queen, her beastie. Over the few years she had been queen, her beastie's duties took her farther and farther away from the Moors. As much as it pained Maleficent, she understood. It was all to keep the greedy humans from destroying the tense peace between the two kingdoms. That did not mean that it did not bother the faery. Her thoughts often drifted of late toward her beastie, and she found herself wondering what the queen was up to.

To alleviate some of her worrying, she sent Diaval on scouting missions periodically. His reports were often the same—that Aurora's duties were draining on her, but she was otherwise healthy.

"Oh, come off your high horse! It is obvious that you miss her!"

"Diaval," she growled dangerously. She closed her eyes so that he would not see right through her. Her wings twitched of their own accord, however. She let out a long sigh. "Go check on the little beast. _Into a bird._" She opened her eyes and watched him flap away toward the human castle.

* * *

><p>"I do <em>not<em> want to get married!" The young queen insisted to her council upon their demands for a king for what felt like the thousandth time. "Especially not to the list of suitors you all seem to want me to consider. I will _not_!" She slapped her hand against the table, as though that made her point that much clearer.

"Tradition states that we are ruled by a king, Your Majesty," said an old man a couple seats to Aurora's left. He looked decrepit, but his age offered wisdom that Aurora could not afford to lose. "Perhaps if we were to host a Ball on your name day, it would—"

"No," stated Aurora firmly. She grew weary of her council's demands, which were growing more insistent than ever. "None of these men are fit to become king." She thought, _hoped_ even that her reasoning would get through to the council.

"Might I remind you, Your Majesty," began another, this one far younger and much more vicious in his counsel, "that as Queen, your duty to the kingdom is to produce an heir and a spare. In order to do so, you must take a King." His smile was wolfish, and it made the hairs on the back of Aurora's neck stand on end. "You are of childbearing age, and that will not last as long as you want to stall the inevitable."

Aurora frowned. She stood, careful not to appear too clumsy. "I grow weary of this discussion. Let us retire until tomorrow morn." She walked briskly from the council chambers and into the solace of her own room before any of them could object.

By the time she reached her chambers, she was exhausted. The muscles on her neck and back were tight and knotted from all the stress her council was putting her through. She threw herself to her bed and released a sigh of relief now that she could be alone to her thoughts.

Marriage was not something she wanted, and no matter how much she voiced her opinion on the matter, or _how_ she said it to the council, they still brought it up. Marriage would mean being sidelined by her husband while she became his brood mare. While she liked children, she wanted to be treated as an equal, but she did not see how she could in a largely patriarchal society.

And then there was the matter of her godmother. She doubted that her faery godmother would accept any man worthy of courting her. Thinking of her godmother brought a twinge of yearning to Aurora's heart. Nearly a year without visiting the Moors was nearly a year too long. She couldn't go though, not without risking the council ripping the rug of her authority from beneath her feet at the first sign of her absence.

A loud knock brought her from her far away thoughts and back to the present. She stood and made herself presentable; something she was loath to do, but human customs demanded it. "Enter."

The door opened to reveal one of her council. The one with the wolfish grin, William. He was tall and broad. His long ginger beard went down to his chest. The hair atop his head was starting to thin and become grey. "Your Majesty," he said gruffly, bowing to her.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?" she asked with genuine sweetness.

His eyes roamed over her, and she felt her skin crawl at the way he seemed to be assessing her like a piece of meat at market. "I must insist that you reconsider the council's request."

"Why?" Aurora's headache was already returning at the mention of marriage. If only her council would simply drop the subject, then she could move on to more pressing matters, such as the kingdom's still struggling economy.

"If you do not produce a legitimate heir, the kingdom will fall into a civil war upon your death."

She frowned. That was not something she considered. "I don't want to marry," she insisted stubbornly. "If I end up not having children, I will indicate a successor in my will."

"Why you wretched whore!" His face was suddenly twisted in rage, but he stayed where he was. "That witch of the Moors got into your head somehow! She wants the kingdom to be without an heir!"

Aurora couldn't stop herself. She slapped William across the face, and the sound reverberated against her chamber walls. While she knew her reaction wasn't the most ladylike, she could not stand idly by while this man insulted both her and her godmother.

* * *

><p>Diaval flapped his wings as fast as he could as he raced back toward the Moors. He had to tell his Mistress—no, he could not think of such things now. It would only slow him down, and time was of the essence. He felt as though the wind was against him as it was.<p>

He flapped his wings harder, even through the burn he was exposing his flight muscles to. He had to reach his Mistress...he had to warn her before it was too late... As he flew over the border of the Moors, he let out a desperate caw.

"Diaval!" His Mistress had not only heard him; she flew toward him.

They landed together in a grove near the stream where they used to watch Aurora play with the wallerbogs.

"_Into a man_!"

He fell to his knees and took several deep breaths. He was shaking; his entire body cried out to him, but none of that mattered now. All that mattered was, "Aurora..."

"What? Diaval! What happened to her?" His Mistress demanded harshly.

"She's in trouble, Mistress... There was—"

His Mistress wasted no time taking to the skies. She hadn't even bothered turning him back to his true, beautiful self. He would not complain this time though. Aurora needed his Mistress more than he needed to fly. Besides, if his Mistress waited for him to keep up, they might be too late. He collapsed, knowing that there was nothing more he could do for Aurora except wait for his Mistress to rescue her.

_To be continued..._


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Just as a warning, this chapter is not for the feint hearted as it contains abuse. I was also going to wait to put this chapter up, but I got impatient. If any of you readers have any ideas for me that you would like to see, please feel free to PM me. Or find me on Tumblr. And happy new year, everyone.

_**Chapter 1**_

Aurora yelped as William grabbed her by the hair. She struggled when she felt his hand over her mouth, and she bit him. He let out an angry howl before striking her across the cheek. The force of the hit sent her tumbling to the ground. She landed with a grunt. When she glared up at him, she could already feel the bruise coloring her cheek.

"You impudent little wench!" He snarled at her. "You will learn your place!"

"I am your queen!" Aurora cried haughtily. She tilted her chin up as she rose to her feet, acting just as her godmother had taught her early in her reign. She thought that the faery would be proud of her for the dignified way she held herself in front of the councilman.

"You are a woman!" He lunged at her a second time. This time, he managed to wrap his fingers around her windpipe, and she choked. Whenever she got brave enough to fight back, his grip tightened, which ultimately led her to submitting. He used his grip to lead her through the empty castle corridors.

She panicked upon seeing how empty her castle was, or at least seemed. Where was everyone? Surely, some of her staff wandered to and fro in order to complete the many tasks that kept her castle going. She could do no more than gasp and choke as William led her. If she struggled, he could crush her windpipe, as he had already demonstrated, and she believed that he would do it if she pushed him far enough.

"You are going to learn your place before I am done with you, _Your Majesty_."

She whimpered pitifully. She was frightened of what he would do to her. Would he rape her? But if that was his plan, why didn't he do it in her own chamber?

She retreated into the depths of her mind. It was the only thing she could do to numb the experience. She hoped, _prayed_ that someone, _anyone_ would find and rescue her. _'Godmother...'_ The thought of the faery brought a small comfort to her. Her faery godmother wouldn't allow anything bad to happen to her. She even swore that she heard a frantic caw in the distance.

She returned to the present when she felt her wrists being bound to a post. She winced when she felt William tightening the rope to the point that it cut into her skin. Panic returned in full force when she felt her dress being ripped from her. She cried out, but her throat hurt too much to be very loud. Tears streamed freely down her bruised cheeks.

"Women are subservient to men," said William before there was a whooshing and several sharp blades dug into her back.

She screamed from the pain. "Please..." She sobbed. Oh, how it strung to be flogged in such a way. Not only was there the physical pain, which was agonizing, but there was also the pain of the humiliation and betrayal she felt. These were instruments that she had banned from her kingdom shortly after becoming queen. He was on her council; he was supposed to be loyal to her. She cried out, and not because of the flogging she was taking.

"Your place is below men." A second strike had her arching her back and crying for mercy.

She could feel blood start to fall down her back. "Please...stop..." Her throat felt raw. She was uncertain how much more she could take. Surely not much.

"A queen cannot rule without a king." Again, he flogged her.

"AH!" She wanted her godmother. If her godmother could just get to her, then everything would be ok. Her godmother would make the pain go away.

"A queen's duty is to produce heirs." The bladed whips came down on her back a fourth time.

Her vision blurred, and it was for that reason that she was not sure if what she saw was actually there. "Godmother..." She smiled weakly before slumping into the post she was tied to.

* * *

><p>Maleficent's eyes widened at the sight before her. She was in the shadows, so the man didn't see her yet. Her beastie was tied to a post, being flogged. The metallic smell of blood she knew all too well from her sixteen years war with the girl's father met her nostrils. What she saw was worse than what she feared when Diaval returned, exhausted to the Moors. She wasn't sure what she expected when she raced off to the human kingdom, but this certainly was not it.<p>

The man raised the whip again. Just as it was coming down, Maleficent rushed to block it. The blades cut into her forearm, and she hissed as she felt the iron burn her skin. She used her wings to slam the human into the wall behind him. She heard the crunch as his skull hit stone, and just like that, he was a forgotten heap of bones and flesh.

She hissed as she ripped the iron tipped razors of the whip from her forearm. The wounds were minor, and they would heal quickly. But her beastie... "Aurora!" She gasped as she whipped around and rushed to the young queen's side.

Upon closer inspection of the wounds on the queen's back, she was able to determine that the damage was bad, and would get worse if left untreated. She untied Aurora's wrists and gently lowered her to the floor.

"Hn?" Her beastie's eyes opened, revealing pain and confusion, and the simplistic expression tugged at Maleficent's heart. "Godmother?" She rasped, her voice nearly gone.

"Hush, beastie." Maleficent smiled softly as she caressed Aurora's cheek. It was a forced gesture, but it got her beastie to once again close her eyes.

She lifted her beastie into her arms, careful not to strain her queen's wounds. She took a moment to glance down at the deceivingly peaceful look on her beastie's face before striding through the castle. She was careful to avoid the human staff and guards, not knowing enough of the situation to try and explain why she carried the injured queen. It was only due to her experience of two decades keeping in the shadows that allowed her to avoid the humans.

Once she was outside, she took flight. The added weight of Aurora slowed her down, not that she tried to race toward the Moors anyway; she didn't want Aurora to get too cold. She had to balance that desire with getting Aurora's wounds cleaned and looked at, as well as the danger she faced if a human archer caught sight of her.

"Godmother...please..."

Maleficent glanced down. Her beastie was still asleep, but her face was scrunched up in pain. "I'm right here, beastie," she murmured. "I'm not going anywhere. You're safe." Those words seemed to do the trick because Aurora's face relaxed.

As she crossed over into the Moors, she started looking for Diaval. She was going to need his help treating Aurora's wounds, which she expected was going to be messy and cause her beastie agony. She hated the thought of doing anything to cause her beastie the slightest bit of pain, as short lived as it was going to be, especially after such a trying ordeal. Still, it was all for Aurora's own good. The wounds had to be cleaned, otherwise infection would set in, if it hadn't already.

She found Diaval near where she left him and landed next to him.

"Mistress!—Aurora!—" He loped clumsily toward Maleficent, closing the distance between them.

"She's alive, Diaval," she said through clenched teeth. "I need you to find some passionflower, knitbone calendula, gotu kola, yarrow, and plantain leaves."

Diaval's eyes widened slightly at the list of herbs she required. He gave a short nod before she flicked her wrist at him and turned him back into a raven.

She watched him fly off to perform her task. She grimaced as she took flight once again, this time heading toward her Rowan.

Once she got to her tree and landed, she gently placed Aurora on her bed. She sat next to her beastie and stroked the queen's long golden locks. It was as much about calming her beastie's sudden restlessness as it was about calming her own nerves. Petting her beastie was all she could do to keep from pacing and fretting about while she waited for Diaval to return with the herbs.

A loud squawk brought her from her troubled thoughts. She looked up to see Diaval gliding toward the tree. She waited for him to land before flicking her wrist and said, "_Into a man_."

"What do you need me to do now, Mistress?" he asked, looking nervously between Maleficent and Aurora.

"Smash those herbs into a paste. Then you are going to _gently_ apply the salve to Aurora's back while I hold the little beastie down."

Diaval nodded solemnly as he set to his task. They were silent while he worked, except for when Aurora whimpered and Maleficent gently soothed her back to sleep.

"Mistress..." He looked up at her as he finished making the herbs into a thick paste.

Maleficent glared at him, but said nothing.

He swallowed the lump in his throat before he continued, "The salve is ready."

Maleficent's face was stricken with conflict. She knew that what she was about to have her man-raven servant do was going to cause Aurora agonizing pain, but it was all for healing the beastie, or at least that is what she told herself to convince her heart that was the right thing to do. She shifted, and her wings twitched. She settled Aurora's head in her lap and placed her hands firmly on her beastie's shoulders before she nodded at Diaval. She was too afraid to speak, though she would never openly admit to it.

Diaval spread the thick salve over Aurora's back as gently as he could. Despite this, Aurora still cried out and struggled against Maleficent to get away. The raven turned man hesitated and looked up at his mistress.

"Aurora!" Maleficent barked. She fought to keep her beastie still.

Aurora's eyes were open, though Maleficent could not remember when her beastie opened her eyes. Azure met yellow-green. Maleficent held her gaze, and her heart seemed to stop beating in that moment. The fear and confusion and pain all swirled in those blue orbs, and the faery was loath to continue looking into those depths.

"Godmother...please...it hurts..." Aurora sobbed, and the sound of her beastie's voice thick with pain broke Maleficent's heart.

"Hush, beastie," she murmured. She stroked Aurora's cheek, and was surprised her charge leaned into the touch. "It'll all be over soon. I'm right here, and I'm not ever going to leave you. This salve will help you, and I know it hurts. You've got to be strong for me and bear the pain just a little while longer."

"Godmother...I..." Aurora fell silent as she leaned against Maleficent for support. She tugged at the front of the faery's robes and nodded.

"Diaval."

He nodded hesitantly. He rubbed more of the salve into Aurora's back and cringed when Aurora muffled a scream. She still moved, out of instinct, but Maleficent's hold on her was firm.

"You're doing well, beastie. Just a little more." Maleficent kept repeating the words like a mantra, both to herself and the injured queen, doing all she could to encourage the child she loved more deeply than anything, including the Moors.

The tempest within her was coming into a high point, but she could not give in to the storm of wild emotions she was feeling now. Her beastie needed her, and she would stay next to the girl for as long as she needed to. The coming weeks were going to be crucial to ensure her ray of light did not darken with despair as she had so many years ago.

She barely noticed when Diaval sat back with a heavy sigh. She looked down at her beastie, who had gone mostly limp against her, save for the heavy panting and slight quivering. She gently stroked Aurora's hair.

"I've done all I can, Mistress. Now we wait for the salve to do the rest."

"I'm aware of that, Diaval," replied Maleficent with a bite in her voice. Her wings drooped, all the events of that day played in her weary mind: sending Diaval to check on Aurora, finding out that the queen was in trouble, racing to the human castle to rescue the light of her life, finding her beastie being unceremoniously flogged, killing the man doing the flogging, taking the human beast from the castle back to the Moors, and finally sitting with her while her loyal servant did all he could to heal her. "Diaval, I need you to double the patrol at the boarder."

"Of course, Mistress," he replied. His eyes, however, remained on Aurora.

"She will be fine, Diaval. _Into a bird_!" She flicked her wrist, and he transformed back into a raven. She watched as he flew off toward the boarder of the once warring kingdoms.

Maleficent buried her face in Aurora's hair. For the first time in a long time, she allowed herself to weep. Her body shook with her sobs. Her mind was racked with guilt. On Aurora's sixteenth birthday, she had made a promise to never allow any harm to come to her for as long as she lived, and now she had broken that promise.

"Oh, my sweet Aurora, I'm so very sorry." She wrapped her wings around them both and rocked back and forth until she fell into an exhausted slumber.

_To be continued…_


	3. Chapter 2

**A/N: First off, I would like to thank those of you who have reviewed this story and shown your support. Secondly, any similarities with other fanfiction stories out there is subconscious on my part. I read quite a few out there before starting this story, and I do draw inspiration from what I've read or seen through fan art. **

_**Chapter 2**_

When Aurora woke, she winced. Her back was sore, but now it was a dull throb rather than a hot burning. Her head was also aching.

She looked up to see her faery godmother sound asleep, and much to Aurora's sudden delight, she was snoring softly. She smiled, unable to help herself. She had never seen her guardian look so peaceful.

Her godmother's wings shined gloriously in the sun as the rays of light caught the feathers. Aurora reached up tentatively and stroked along the feathers, amazed by their softness. She pulled back when the wing twitched, and looked up to see Maleficent's passive eyes on her. She blushed at the intensity of the gaze.

"I'm sorry, godmother," she said quietly.

Her godmother granted her one of her rare smiles. "You have nothing to apologize for, beastie. Especially not your curiosity."

Aurora squeaked when her godmother pulled her closer.

"Did I hurt you?" the faery asked, alarmed. She immediately relinquished her hold on Aurora.

"No." Aurora shook her head. She leaned into her godmother's warm, protective embrace, seeking the comfort she knew would never be denied to her. "I know you'd never hurt me, godmother."

"How is your back?"

"Better. It's...more of a dull throb now..." She looked up at her godmother's pain stricken gaze. She reached up to lightly caress sharp cheekbones. "Godmother...I...I was so scared..." Tears welled up in her eyes before they flowed down her cheeks.

"Sh, beastie." Maleficent rubbed Aurora's head in an attempt to comfort the wailing girl. "You don't have to tell me what happened."

Aurora hiccupped. She bit back a groan when the movement caused her back to spasm; it came out as a whimper.

"Beastie?"

"I'm fine, godmother. I just...moved the wrong way." As much as she wanted to lie to protect her godmother, she knew it would be futile. The faery always saw through her façade. "I mean...these wounds will heal. They might not even scar." She forced a smile.

"Aurora," her godmother said softly, and the younger of the pair knew the next words from the faery's mouth were going to be serious. "Do not pretend to be all right for my sake. I know you're hurting. But you're not alone. You don't have to bear it all by yourself. I am right here, and I will never leave you."

Tears brimmed in Aurora's eyes again. She wrapped her thin arms around her faery and squeezed tightly while she buried her face in the crook of Maleficent's neck. "Thank you, godmother," she sniffled.

She felt strong arms wrap around her carefully, and she felt safe for the first time in a very long while. With her godmother there, she knew that no harm could come to her, that she would be safe.

A blush colored her cheeks when she felt her stomach rumble. She shifted slightly in her embarrassment.

"Hungry, beastie?"

"A little..."

"Do you think you can get up? We could go bathe too, if you're up for it. That salve is caked into your skin."

Aurora noted how Maleficent kept her voice gentle. The choice was hers, but she suspected that eventually her godmother would insist on a bath and proper food. She nodded. "I would like that..."

"Let me help you."

The young queen allowed Maleficent to help her to her feet, and upon swaying and feeling a wave of dizziness, she leaned against the tall faery for support. Her legs shook from the effort of keeping her upright.

* * *

><p>Maleficent held the young girl up. She was worried at her beastie's frightened expression. She watched as Aurora tried to take a step away from her support, and was quick to grab the queen when it became apparent that she could not hold her own weight.<p>

"Beastie." The word was simple, but it held so much more. It revealed the depths of her adoration, worry, devotion, and love for the creature who was now pressed up against her. She blushed, and was glad the little beast could not see her face. "It appears I must carry you." And she did. She scooped Aurora into her arms before gliding toward her personal pool where she knew there were nut and berry trees for them to eat from, after they bathed of course.

When she landed, she gently set Aurora down. She knelt down and cupped the youth's bruised cheek. "Your cheek. Who hit you?" Darkness colored her words, and she swore to destroy the one who did this to her beastie.

Aurora looked away and bit her bottom lip. "William... He was—he was on my council."

Maleficent growled low in her throat. She bared her teeth in a near silent snarl.

"Godmother?" At Aurora's frightened voice, Maleficent retained control over her outward features. Still, she could not deny that seeing her beastie so beaten and battered left her wanting to rip apart those responsible.

"He...he was..." She did not finish her explanation verbally. Instead, she reached for her back, and Maleficent put the pieces together.

"He won't touch you again, beastie," she swore, her voice gravelly. She wiped away her beastie's tears. "Come now, let us get washed up." She helped Aurora to her feet and helped her charge out of the remainder of her dress. She unclasped her robes and allowed them to pool at her feet before gently leading Aurora to the water.

She gently washed Aurora, starting with the girl's front so as to avoid the pain of washing her queen's back until last. She was perplexed at Aurora's blushing when she washed her breasts. "Beastie?"

"Hm?" Aurora looked startled, and Maleficent found the expression...cute was not an adequate description.

"Why are you blushing so?" Maleficent teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"Huh? Oh! Um...well, my handmaidens always got uncomfortable with bathing me, even though I told them I could manage myself."

"Tsk! I will never understand humans with their strange customs of modesty," Maleficent declared, shaking her head. "One should not be ashamed of a body."

"I know, godmother." Aurora leaned against Maleficent's bare shoulder and sighed.

"Beastie?"

"I'm just...tired." Aurora yawned and slipped closer to the very puzzled faery.

"I still need to wash your hair and your back, you little beast."

"Alright." Aurora rose to allow Maleficent to scrub her hair. "Mmm..." The girl purred as Maleficent massaged her scalp.

The faery smiled fondly. She tilted the girl's head back to rinse, and when Aurora tensed, she gently reminded the queen that she would not let her drown. As soon as she was done rinsing Aurora's hair, she grimaced sourly. Now she had to do the one thing she was putting off, scrubbing her beastie's back.

"Aurora?"

"Yes, godmother?"

"I'm going to scrub your back now." She waited for Aurora's nod, and when she got it, she began scrubbing the girl's back as gently as she could.

Aurora hissed and gasped, despite Maleficent's feather light touches. She refused to make Maleficent stop, even when the faery offered to do so.

The scabs beneath the salve ran down from Aurora's shoulders to her lower back. The wounds still looked angry, but Maleficent could detect no sign of infection. Still, the sight caused for the storm inside Maleficent to rage.

"G...godmother?" Aurora cried tentatively. She turned and reached out to caress the faery's sharp cheekbones. "Godmother, come back to me...please?"

The sound of her voice was distant, but Maleficent returned to the present, to her little beastie. She still growled, but Aurora did not back away, which surprised the faery.

"Easy, godmother... I'm ok. I'm alive thanks to you."

"Aurora...I'm so sorry." And just like that, Maleficent brought Aurora into a near crushing embrace. She only loosened her grip when her beastie told her she couldn't breathe. "Sorry..."

"It's ok, godmother. I know you're just worried about me."

"More than a little," Maleficent admitted. She planted a soft kiss on Aurora's temple before lifting her up and carrying her to the water's edge. She set her charge down at the base of a tree, and was careful to wrap her in her discarded robe. "Rest now, beastie. I will wake you when I have gathered food."

She waited until Aurora was sleeping soundly before returning to the pond. She washed her body as quickly as she could, and even that took time. She preened her feathers last, and by the time she was clean, an hour had gone by. She periodically looked over at Aurora to ensure that all was well, and that none of the Moorland creatures disturbed their queen.

She would not be surprised to learn that every creature here knew of Aurora's current condition, but she still wanted prying eyes away from her beastie, at least until she was strong enough to go about with her loving subjects. She shared their worry, held more of it for her beastie, actually. But she knew that Aurora was not ready to be in the company of so many. Maleficent didn't even know yet the full extent of the emotional trauma Aurora was experiencing. She did know that Aurora's smiles were part of a mask; how could they not be? Then again, one of Aurora's "aunts" gave the beastie the gift of never being blue at her christening. She had scoffed angrily at it then, but perhaps now it wasn't so bad to never know sadness.

She dismissed the thought. The gift was just something that would hold the inevitable storm of pain at bay until her beastie snapped. Maleficent shuddered to think of that happening, but she could not deny the possibility. Darker days were on the horizon for the young human, and all Maleficent could do was to be there for her beastie in a way no one was there for her when the late king betrayed her. She would not allow Aurora to go down the same dark path, justified or not.

Maleficent sighed at her dark musings and dismissed them for later. She had to collect food, and that was what she did. She wandered the immediate vicinity and collected a sizable collection of berries and nuts for her and Aurora. She also used her magic to craft a modest set of blue robes for Aurora.

She returned to find her beastie still sleeping soundly. "Sleeping beauty, indeed," she mused quietly to herself. She knelt down and gently touched the girl's shoulder. "Beastie, time to wake up."

"Gn... Five more minutes, Shae..."

Maleficent's eyes softened. _'Who is Shae, I wonder?'_ She sighed. "Beastie."

Aurora blinked awake. "Huh? Oh, godmother..." She smiled, but it was only a dim reminder of brighter days when her smile would light up Maleficent's spirit.

"Who is Shae?" Maleficent teased as she helped Aurora into the robes she made her.

"Godmother, these are beautiful!" Aurora gasped.

"You're avoiding the question, you little beast." Maleficent teased as she lowered Aurora back down and donned her own robe before sitting down.

"Um...she's one of my handmaidens..." Aurora blushed. "She's close to my own age. One of my only friends in that castle..."

Maleficent nodded. "Do you want to return to the castle?" She asked as she offered a berry to her queen. She hoped that her voice remained passive, but she feared that Aurora would wish to return to her human kingdom and abandon her, like the late king had so many years ago…

"I can feed myself, godmother!" Aurora huffed indignantly, to which Maleficent laughed, ignoring her nagging fear of abandonment.

She quickly regained composure, but Aurora's insistence at being independent lifted her mood by leaps and bounds. Sure, she still wanted nothing more than to fly to the human castle and raze it to the ground, but that did not mean that she could not at least provide a more positive example for her beastie.

"You did not answer my question," Maleficent reminded her as she cracked a nut shell with her pointed teeth.

"I...I never liked it there, godmother. The humans are so cruel... I want to stay here in the Moors with you!"

And Maleficent was reminded when her queen made a similar request, before her three idiotic "aunts" ruined her plan to keep Aurora safe from the curse she placed on the girl as an infant and sent her running to her own doomed fate. She dipped her horned head slightly, and said, "If that is what you wish, beastie." Her heart skipped a beat at the first true smile she had seen from her beastie since bringing her back to the Moors.

_To be continued…_


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: This is not my favorite chapter I've written so far, but it is important for the plot. I would greatly appreciate some ideas on how to make it better for a very probable rewrite in the near future. I would also like to thank everyone for reading this. That alone does wonders for my confidence as a writer, and the reviews I've gotten so far have been a big help to keeping me writing every day. **

_**Chapter 3**_

As soon as Maleficent settled Aurora into her bed at her Rowan, she kissed the girl's temple.

"Godmother?" Aurora squeaked.

"I need to leave you here for a little while to find Diaval," Maleficent explained gently. "You'll be safe here." She set the pouch of left over nuts and berries in Aurora's lap.

"Can I come with?"

"Afraid not, beastie. I'll bring Diaval back with me." She ran her long fingers along Aurora's soft cheek. "Get some rest."

Maleficent smiled softly at her beastie's pout, but she still did not give in. She was reminded of when she was a child and would ask for Maleficent to pick her up. That particular memory of the first time Aurora did that sent a shock through her heart. She placed another gentle kiss on her beastie's forehead before taking flight.

Leaving Aurora alone in her Rowan was difficult, but she had her duty to protect all of the Moors. She was confident that her beastie would remain safe in her haven. That still made her want to get her duties over with as quickly as possible. And so she raced toward the border.

She landed when she spotted Diaval flying toward her. She turned him into a man and waited for him to regain his balance.

"Mistress," he greeted. "How is Aurora?"

"Better," she reported. "Any disturbance on the border?" She raised an impassive brow expectantly.

He shook his feathered head. "Everything's been quiet. I did double the patrol as you ordered, Mistress."

Maleficent frowned. She wasn't going to complain about the borders being calm, but she knew that by now the humans must know their queen is missing. It was only a matter of time before they massed the army to go searching for her.

"Mistress?" Diaval shifted, a telltale sign of his nervousness.

"I'm conflicted, Diaval," she confessed forcefully. "I promised the beastie that I would bring you back with me, but I must know what is going on at the castle."

"I could come back to the Rowan with you, for a little while at least. Until Aurora falls asleep. Then I could go and scout the castle."

Maleficent's eyes lit up at the idea. "How wonderful." She turned him back into a raven and flew with him at her side back to their shared Rowan.

When she landed, Aurora jumped awake. She remained still at seeing Aurora's fearful gaze. _'Here it comes,'_ she thought, bracing herself.

The screaming she was waiting for never happened. As soon as Aurora saw Diaval, her face lit up. For that, Maleficent felt a wave of gratitude for her raven companion. She watched the scene unfold, ready to jump in at a moment's notice should Aurora remember her fear.

"Pretty bird." Aurora smiled, though there was a sadness in her eyes as she stroked Diaval's feathers, and he cawed softly. He nipped her hand playfully with his beak and hopped onto her shoulder.

The look on her beastie's face was peaceful. It was like the previous night had never happened. Or the last four years since Aurora's coronation. The sight of Aurora happy made Maleficent come closer to forgetting the horrors she saw the previous night, like it was all part of a long forgotten nightmare, even though she knew better.

Aurora's smile faltered when Diaval nuzzled her cheek with his beak. Maleficent wanted nothing more than to sweep in and remove the fear from her beastie's mind. It hurt more than she knew possible watching the one she loved as dearly as the Moors experience the harshness the world of men had to offer. _'Humans... She's definitely not like the rest.' _She was glad that her beastie was not like the rest of her kind. Her beastie simply did not possess the inclination toward cruelty or greed, and Maleficent often wondered at that. She guessed that it was because for the first sixteen years of her life, three pixies, a raven and a wicked faery raised her.

"Godmother?"

"Yes, beastie?" Maleficent replied in her soft tone. She came out of her thoughts with a start.

"Why...why are people so cruel?"

The question felt like a knife being stabbed and then twisted in her chest before being ripped out. All the air left her lungs. She recalled how she felt after the late king betrayed her by drugging her to sleep and cutting away her wings. It drove her to lay a curse on an innocent infant...on her beastie. Then she remembered how after time, she healed by learning to love her beastie, who for so long was the painful reminder of the king's betrayal. All of that combined could not come close to how she felt in that moment.

"Diaval, I believe you have a task to complete." She met his obsidian eyes, willing him to understand her need to have this discussion private, before he took flight.

"Beastie..." She swept in next to Aurora and held her close. "I cannot provide the answers you seek, for I do not understand why humans can be so cruel. But I have witnessed kindness in humans, too. You taught me that." She nuzzled the top of Aurora's head affectionately.

"I've never hurt anyone!" Aurora sobbed. "I don't understand why William did this to me!" She started smacking and punching Maleficent. The faery winced as the frantic blows made contact with her sides, but she dared not retaliate. She understood all too well what Aurora was going through, and she believed that if she fought back, the end result would not be productive in any way to her beastie recovering. She simply took the blows with all the patience she could muster without a single cry or attempt to restrain her queen.

"Sh, beastie. I know. I know..." She held Aurora close when the blows stopped and allowed the human girl to cry into her shoulder. She just let her beastie release all her pent up emotions from the ordeal, but wished she could do more. It pained her to see one as sweet as her Aurora in such a state. "No one will hurt you again, not while I'm here. I'll help you get through this, my little beastie." She petted Aurora's head in an attempt to soothe her.

After a while, an idea struck her. She had seen mothers rocking wailing babes while singing lullabies. She did not know any human songs, but she knew the ones her Moorland friends taught her as a child.

She rocked Aurora and started to sing softly. "I know you, I walked with you once upon a dream. I know you, that look in your eyes is so familiar a gleam. And I know it's true, that visions are seldom what they seem. But if I know you, I know what you'll do. You'll love me at once. The way you did once upon a dream..." By the time she was finished singing, her beastie was snoring softly.

"Once you're strong enough, I am going to teach you how to defend yourself," Maleficent swore softly. She knew that there was no way for her to constantly be there to save her little beastie, so the best thing she could do was to teach a little self-defense.

* * *

><p>Diaval flew with the wind at his back all the way to the human castle. By the time he reached the great monstrosity, the sun was setting behind the hills. He landed on a rampart overlooking the kingdom. In the distance, he could see the Moors as a fleck against the horizon.<p>

His body burned with the effort from his two flights to the castle in the last twenty-four hours. The only reason he agreed to these long flights so close together was for Aurora's sake. He worried for the hatchling, and he knew his Mistress did too, even though she was far too proud to admit it. Besides, actions spoke louder than words, and his Mistress was a fine example of that. He noticed the tender way she acted toward Aurora, though he would never bring it up for fear of being turned into a dog, or a worm, or worse…

He shuddered before preening his disheveled feathers. As much as he enjoyed seeing the hatchling awake and all too happy to pet him, she still did not understand how to do so without messing up his feathers. Someday, he would fix that.

When he finished, the sun was completely down. He decided to use the darkness as cover to fly through an open window and perched in the rafters in the throne room.

He recalled doing something similar when he was sent to spy on Stefen and finding out he was to be crowned king for betraying his Mistress. His feathers ruffled at the memory. That was a dark time, and he hoped not to repeat it. Of course, all that would depend on the news he brought back to his Mistress and Aurora. He did not expect the news to be good.

He fell into a light sleep, popping his head up whenever someone moved beneath him.

The following morning, the commotion below woke him. He nearly reprimanded the humans for so rudely disturbing his sleep until he remembered why he was in the castle in the first place, so he stayed his caw and watched and listened.

"My son is dead, and the queen is gone!" An elderly robust man shouted. "I demand action!"

"What do you propose we do?" Another man, this one ancient and wheezing, demanded.

"I know I saw that witch of the Moors flying toward the castle on the night of my son's murder! She must've murdered William and took our queen for ransom!"

Diaval ruffled his feathers at the accusations. His Mistress was only rescuing Aurora after that oaf's son abused their hatchling. He wanted to peck his eyes out, but he reasoned that was not the best call of action, for the time being. There would be time enough for that later. And perhaps he could request his Mistress to turn him into a dragon when they dealt with the rabble of Aurora's court.

"No demands of ransom have been made," replied the older. Diaval liked him so far. But the raven could tell the man did not have many winters left.

"That witch got into our queen's head; I know it! The queen refuses to be married! She goes against tradition!"

Diaval found it difficult to control his urge to savage that man. No one made demands of his hatchling! He would definitely put Aurora's refusal of marriage in his report to his Mistress. It was absurd that his hatchling's council would demand that of her. He also felt proud at her ability to stand her ground against something she didn't want to do.

The ancient man wheezed a sigh. "Lord Gregory, I feel I should remind you that you speak treason. Queen Aurora has decreed that no one is to speak ill of the Protector of the Moors. Now, even though she is still missing, I feel we must uphold her laws."

"That proves my point, Lord Alfred! Why would she decree such protections to the witch who murdered our late king, our queen's _father_ if the witch hasn't put another spell on her? I say we go into the Moors and squash those creatures!"

"That is not for you to say," wheezed Lord Alfred, getting angry.

"Then we should vote in a regent, at least until we can rescue our queen," amended Lord Gregory in a much more civil manner.

Diaval did not like the direction that could take. If the wrong nobleman took regency, it could mean disaster. He cawed nervously, and was glad the noblemen below did not seem to notice him.

"Very well," sighed Lord Alfred. "We will put it to a vote at dusk. Inform the rest of the council."

Diaval could not wait that long. He stretched his wings and flew out of the castle and back toward the Moors. He had to tell his Mistress everything he heard, and she was not going to like it one bit.

* * *

><p>Aurora woke early that morning. She scrambled to look for her godmother when she noticed the faery was missing. "Godmother? GODMOTHER!" Her heart pounded wildly.<p>

"I'm right here, beastie," said her godmother, her voice soothing. She landed next to the bed and was knocked back when Aurora launched at her.

"Please don't ever leave me!" Aurora sobbed.

"Beastie..."

She felt her godmother's arms gently encircle her. She clutched harder, afraid that if she let go, her godmother would fly away and never return.

"Aurora, what has got you so troubled?"

"I—I had a nightmare..."

She felt her godmother stiffen. "Do you wish to talk about it?"

"You—you went away...and I was left alone..."

"Beastie... I would never abandon you. I was just patrolling the border of the Moors, to keep you safe."

Aurora calmed down somewhat. She slumped into her godmother, still feeling too weak to stand on her own for more than a couple moments. She felt her godmother lift her and jump lightly onto the ground below. She snuggled into the faery's warmth.

"Are you hungry, beastie?"

She nodded and heard her godmother's light chuckle. When she opened her eyes again, her godmother was flying. She squealed and flung her arms around her godmother's neck.

"Beastie...you're choking me..."

"Oh! Sorry, godmother!" Aurora blushed as she loosened her grip. She still buried her face into the crook of her godmother's neck.

"Does flying frighten you, beastie?" Her godmother teased after landing near her bathing pool.

Aurora blushed. "Not really," she mumbled bashfully. "It's the most exhilarating thing I've ever experienced!" She looked up to see her godmother's small smile, and returned it with one of her own.

They ate and bathed together while they waited for Diaval to return. Both human and faery were silent throughout their wait. Aurora was nervous about what news the raven would return with; she knew that it couldn't be good. She had no clue what was going on in her godmother's head, having long given up trying to fully understand those who inhabited the Moors. She figured that the mystery that she had no desire to fully solve kept her fascination of the world around her high. It also kept her more or less sane to keep something in her life an unknown because it increased her drive to continue learning.

_To be continued…_


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry for those of you who are reading this for the Malora feels. I promise, they will get together, eventually. But first, they have to work to that conclusion, and I am currently working on that part, a few chapters from this. **

_**Chapter 4**_

Maleficent growled at several points during Diaval's report: some nobleman was referring to her as the witch of the Moors, accusing her of manipulating Aurora, making demands for war against the Moors...it took a great deal of effort on her part to not fly to the castle and rip that nobleman apart. It was only because her beastie was clinging to her that she did not leave that instant. She held onto the frightened queen, trying her hardest to soothe the young girl.

"Mistress...there's more," Diaval said nervously. He avoided looking into her eyes.

"Go on," she snapped impatiently. Might as well get it all out in the open.

"The council is voting on an emergency regent to decide the course the kingdom will take."

Both Maleficent and Diaval cringed at Aurora's distressed moan. The faery knew this was all hard on the girl, and she wondered if it was too much for her to handle at once.

"Aurora?" She rubbed her beastie's arms in an attempt to remind her that her faery godmother was right there. "Aurora, come back, my beastie." She fought to keep her voice soft and soothing, but she had to keep her beastie from going down the same dark path she had two decades before.

"This is horrible," the queen squeaked. "They're taking advantage of my absence. This is why I stayed away from the Moors for so long. And if...I don't want another war, godmother!"

Maleficent pulled her closer. "Sh, beastie. We will get through this." Truthfully, she did not see how they were going to get through this mess, but she had to say something to calm the girl in her arms.

"Also mistress," Diaval continued, this time sounding more confident, which got Maleficent's attention. "The nobles are not happy about Aurora's refusal of marriage."

So the nobles were trying to pressure her beastie into marriage, were they? Maleficent squeezed Aurora, almost to the point of causing her beastie pain. Her upper lip curled up into a savage snarl.

"Godmother?" Aurora sounded frightened. She reached up and cupped the faery's sharp cheekbones in her palm.

"Is this true?" Maleficent's severe gaze bore into her beastie's deep ocean orbs, searching for the truth of the situation should Aurora feel the need to hide anything.

"Y—yes... They—the nobles want a king...and an heir. They say it is my duty as queen..."

"They WHAT?!" Maleficent shouted, furious at the way the humans were treating their queen like some brood mare when Aurora was so much more. It was unacceptable, and she was going to make them pay dearly for this transgression.

A chorus of "godmother" and "mistress" floated in her ears. One was a frightened squeal, and the other was reproachful. She looked at her companions and realized that she had lost control of her emotions. She stamped down her rage before apologizing in a hoarse voice.

"Godmother...I don't want to get married. Not to someone who will overshadow me and rule my life..."

"If you don't want to, no one can force you. I will not stand for anyone treating you as such." Maleficent leaned in to sniff her beastie's hair. That was precisely what she needed to calm her raging emotions.

"Thank you, godmother." Aurora seemed to be falling asleep. Maleficent was not surprised. Her beastie was dealing with far more than she ever had, and the faery was truly worried about what this would do to her beastie in the long run.

"Is there anything more?" She asked her servant and friend.

"Nothing more, mistress."

"Get some rest then."

"Turn me back to my beautiful self, first?"

She granted his request. Once he was perched in the tree she was leaned against, and her beastie was sleeping, she sorted through the information Diaval brought back. Things were getting far tenser than she thought it would ever get in Aurora's lifetime. She felt a pang of guilt at knowing the damage her beastie had gone through because of this, and there was little to nothing she could do to protect her. It made her feel as powerless as she did when she found she could not revoke her curse.

She was going to have to move quickly if she was going to protect both the Moors and her beastie should the worst come to pass. She had the distinct feeling in the form of a knot in her gut that the worst was exactly what was going to happen, and she was ill prepared for it.

She looked out at the expanse of the Moors and to the rising moon. She was worried about her beastie's future. She was worried about what would happen to the Moors. The peace between the two kingdoms had made the Moorish creatures lax, and now that might create their downfall.

Maleficent looked down at her beastie. She thought it strange how her entire life seemed to rotate with Aurora at the center. For twenty long years, she was firmly wrapped around her little beastie's finger, and for most of that time, she had gone about unaware of how the human affected her. She would do _anything_ for her beastie.

"How could I love someone so much?" she mused under her breath. She was still uncertain what sort of love she felt for her beastie. True, it started as a sort of maternal bond, but it had since traversed into something beyond that over the years. It certainly wasn't romantic in nature. No, it went far above any one category.

"Godmother..." Aurora mumbled in her sleep.

Maleficent smiled warmly. She held Aurora closer and inhaled her scent. "Sleep well, beastie."

One thing that Maleficent was certain of was that she needed Aurora to regain her strength. She had no doubt that the queen's weakened state was due to the pain and shock caused from recent events. She recalled how it took her near a fortnight to even have the strength to walk, with a staff as support after her wings were stolen.

Maleficent did not sleep much that night. Her mind was too busy, buzzing with thoughts and emotions, all centered on her beastie.

Shortly after Diaval woke, she sent him back to the castle to learn what he could. He was more than happy to oblige.

It was mid-morning before Aurora woke. Much to Maleficent's surprise and joy, her queen was able to sit up on her own. She grimaced when Aurora tried to stretch, and she reopened a couple of her wounds.

"Take it easy, beastie," she said softly. She took some of the leftover salve from her pouch and rubbed it gently into Aurora's back.

"Godmother, where's Diaval?"

"I sent him back to the castle to gather information," she answered.

"But he was so tired when he came back yesterday," Aurora said worriedly. She turned back to Maleficent with wide eyes, and she was biting her bottom lip.

"I let him rest through the night, beastie," Maleficent murmured. She reached out and brought the girl against her. "Right now, we need information. I cannot allow you to return without knowing what is going on."

"I don't want to go back," Aurora declared firmly. "I never wanted the crown in the first place!"

"I know, beastie. But I think that is the reason you make such a good queen." Maleficent smiled fondly at the hurt and confused expression Aurora shot at her. "You never wanted that sort of power, like so many before you wanted. Your own...Stefan stole my wings in order to become king. He lusted for power, and look at what it got him. You have always been kind, to every living creature. You seek friendship above all else. Those traits allow you to rule with a kind heart. It is because of you that there is peace for the first time between the Moors and the human kingdom."

"But why does it have to be me, godmother? All I ever wanted was to live in the Moors with you."

"My sweet, gentle beastie...as soon as we get through this, I will be at your side for all of our days." She placed a lingering kiss on Aurora's forehead.

"Godmother, don't faeries outlive humans?" Aurora asked.

Maleficent's heart clenched. Her beastie was right. She would outlive her beastie by several centuries, if she lived out her own natural lifespan. Her wings twitched. "Hush, beastie. Do not trouble yourself with such things. I will be at your side, for as long as you allow it."

* * *

><p>Aurora contemplated her godmother's words. She did not know quite how she felt about them. What did disturb her was the thought of growing into an old woman with her godmother hardly aging at all. She sighed inwardly. She had more pressing matters to focus on.<p>

First and foremost was ensuring the human kingdom did not take up arms against her beloved Moors. She thought that perhaps she should send word to Phillip for help. He was the closest thing she had to a friend among the human nobility.

Over the years since she took her father's throne, Phillip had aided her in her transition. She often confided in him when she could not speak with her godmother. He made her smile. She even thought that over time, she could consider marrying him. He was the only one she had ever considered...

She shook the thought from her head. They were friends; it would be weird. And he did not make her heart flutter as it once had when they first met. There were none of the signs, according to her books of what it felt like to fall in love when she was around him.

"Beastie?"

Her godmother's voice jostled her from her thoughts. "Yes?" She forced a sweet smile.

"What are you so deep in thought about?"

"Um...well...I was thinking that perhaps we could ask Phillip to help." She looked up at her godmother with a hopeful gaze.

"Do you trust him?"

"Yes. He hasn't given me any reason not to. He's more kind than the other nobles."

"Hm... I recall that he helped you make the transition in taking over your kingdom."

Aurora nodded. She pulled away from her godmother, expectantly waiting for a reply.

"I will...consider it."

Aurora beamed before struggling to regain a more neutral expression, remembering some of her royal training. "To make things right, we will need allies."

"Spoken like a true queen," Maleficent said with an approving smile.

"Godmother...?" Aurora spoke after a long moment of silence between them.

"Hm?"

"May we walk through the Moors, like we used to?"

"Are you strong enough?"

"I—I'm feeling stronger. But I'm also so restless. I need to do something before I'm driven mad."

"Quite right, beastie," her godmother said, but Aurora sensed that there was a lot that was left unsaid.

She allowed for her godmother to help her to her feet. She swayed a bit every few steps, but the faery was always able to steady her. The effort left her more breathless than she would have liked, and her back was in pure agony within moments. She did not allow this to discourage her though.

* * *

><p>Maleficent did not stay more than a single stride from her beastie as they walked, side by side as they used to through the Moors. Memories and old emotions surfaced for the faery of when her beastie was so innocent and full of life. She wished for nothing else than to see her beastie like that once again.<p>

She was shocked by how her beastie insisted on continuing on, even though Maleficent could see quite clearly the agony that her beastie was in. She found that she admired the stubborn strength her beastie exhibited. Yes, she would make it through these dark and troubled times just fine, and Maleficent would see to it that it happened.

"Look, godmother, a stag," panted Aurora. She gripped Maleficent's arm tightly as she pointed at the majestic creature staring at them from a few yards away.

Maleficent's eyes softened. Even after everything they had both gone through together, her beastie still retained that same wonder for the world around her that had first drawn her in to the human. It was a humbling sight to witness, and she was glad for it.

She watched as Aurora marveled at the stag before it sauntered off toward the forest. She knew she shouldn't be, but after all these years, she was still surprised at how Aurora did not try to take anything out of greed. Of course, Maleficent had long since convinced herself that this girl was not like other humans; she had no greed that the faery ever saw.

Aurora swayed dangerously on her feet before Maleficent caught her and held her steady. "Beastie!"

"I'm fine, godmother..."

"Perhaps we should rest and eat," Maleficent suggested gently. She could clearly see how tired her beastie had become, even after a relatively short walk. Her wings bristled at how weak her beastie was.

Aurora nodded while Maleficent led her to the base of a nearby oak. They ate there while Aurora told Maleficent all about the past year living among the humans. The faery listened intently, filing much of the information for later.

Aurora told her about some of the rulings she made: how it was treason to speak ill of Maleficent, how she saved the death penalty for the most treacherous of crimes (even though she was hesitant to keep such a barbaric punishment, but saw the wisdom of removing would be assassins and murderers), how she brought back the spinning trade and adapted the iron workers to work with other metals that were not harmful to faeries, and all about how many nobles were reluctant to see her decrees carried out. She recounted how many princes from neighboring kingdoms came in hopes of courting her, including Phillip. Maleficent stiffened at those tales.

"Really, none of them could hold a simple conversation with me," Aurora said with a sour expression. "Phillip came the closest. Most of those princes tried to impress me with bragging about their prowess in battle and showering me with meaningless trinkets, and most were angry that I was unimpressed with them."

"They sound unworthy of your affections," Maleficent replied stiffly. Her lips curled into a sneer at the idea of all those princes' attempts to court her beastie. They were probably only after some gain other than Aurora's love, and it made her sick to think that her beastie's council were trying to push her into marrying one of those imbeciles.

Maleficent felt startled by her own thoughts. Was she jealous? Of those princes? No, she told herself firmly. She merely wanted her beastie to be happy, and deep down, she knew none of those princes could offer her that.

She wondered if she would find anyone worthy of courting her beastie. She had her doubts, for men were greedy and arrogant.

_To be continued…_


	6. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry this is such a short chapter. This one was particularly difficult to write due to the words just not coming to me. Also, I am sorry that it took a few days longer than usual to post this. Right before I started revising this chapter, I had back problems, and I was bedridden for two and a half days. Also, the previous chapters have undergone some rewriting thanks to some minor mistakes Red Hope was kind enough to point out to me. **

_**Chapter 5**_

Diaval perched in the open window as he watched and listened to the meeting taking place below. He was intently paying attention to the nobles as they argued and shouted over who should take over in Aurora's absence. Really, he thought all of them unworthy of any sort of power beyond what they had already amassed, and even then, he felt that many of them did not deserve their position on the council. Human politics simply baffled him, and even that did not begin to cover his confusion concerning humans.

The proceedings had already gone on for two full days; they were on the third. These meetings were mostly dull, but Diaval could not return to his Mistress without a full report. He imagined that she was growing antsy, but there was nothing he could really do about that now.

"I propose we put it to a vote!"

"I second that!"

Diaval perked up. Finally, they were getting somewhere. He watched as they scribbled names onto parchment and dropped the names into a hat. As soon as that was done, all but two of the nobles got up to leave the chamber.

The raven went back to his preening while he waited for the vote to be counted. It was an hour before the rest of the council returned to hear the verdict.

"The votes have been counted. Our regent, until Queen Aurora is returned to us, is Lord Gregory."

Diaval did not wait to see what happened next. He had his name; now he had to give his report and hope his Mistress could devise a plan.

He flew as fast as his wings would carry him back to the Moors. The flight was long, longer than it had ever been, or so he thought.

As soon as he crossed over to the Moors, he began calling out to his Mistress as he searched out her usual haunts. He started with her bathing pool, then the Rowan, but did not find her or Aurora in either place. Worry began to gnaw at him the longer he searched without any sign of them.

He doubted any misfortune befell his Mistress and Aurora. If anything _had_ happened, the Moors would be in an uproar, and everything relatively was quiet. He watched as some of the smaller faeries fluttered about their business.

"It is good to see Maleficent being so tender," squeaked one. "Our queen has brought joy back into her life."

Diaval cawed softly.

"I wonder what befell our queen," another said sadly.

"She looked tired," added the third.

"And Maleficent was helping her walk."

Diaval cocked his head to the side. He hopped on the branch he was perched on while clacking his beak.

"Oh, look, isn't that Maleficent's familiar?"

"You know, I rather think it is."

He cawed at them.

"Maleficent and Queen Aurora are walking through the field yonder," said the first faery.

Diaval cawed his thanks before flying toward the direction they pointed him in. He found his mistress and Aurora leaning against an oak near where the faeries pointed him to. He landed next to them.

"Hello, pretty bird," Aurora greeted him with a smile. She reached out to stroke his feathers.

"_Into a man_," Maleficent said in a clipped tone. She arched her brow as he bowed. "Well? You have been gone for three days."

"Mistress—Aurora—the council chose Gregory to be regent." He cringed at Aurora's sudden distressful howl. In that moment, he wished his report was false, for his hatchling's sake.

"Diaval…leave us," Maleficent commanded. Her voice was thick with something akin to suffering. She changed him back into a raven, and he flew away, knowing his Mistress's wish to be alone with Aurora.

* * *

><p>"Oh god! This can't be happening! Gregory will try and destroy the Moors!" Aurora's mind was reeling with Diaval's report. The news left her stunned, but then full on panic set in, and she struggled with her godmother to get away.<p>

"Let me go!"

"Aurora, calm down!" her godmother demanded in a tone that was not to be argued with.

"Let go!"

"You need to calm down! I won't let anyone take the Moors!"

Aurora stopped fighting her godmother. She looked up into fiery green eyes that failed to contain the faery's fury and pain. "Oh, godmother…"

"You need to keep a level head, beastie. If you act rashly, you might run straight into a trap…or worse… Who is this Gregory? What has he done to make you in such a fright?"

The young queen looked away from her godmother's scrutinizing gaze. She could not help but feel that the faery could see right into her soul through that unwavering gaze she possessed. Even when her godmother firmly pulled her chin up to look at her, she could not look directly into her godmother's eyes.

"Aurora…"

She cringed before braving the faery's eyes. "Godmother, he's William's father…"

"The man who…" She felt her godmother's hands along her back, and she flinched away from the pain that contact brought her. She could tell the reaction brought pain to her godmother by the alarm and pain in the way her face quickly emoted and her wings twitched.

"Yes…"

"We will deal with him, Aurora."

Aurora wanted to believe her godmother, but she could not purge the sickening knot she felt in the pit of her stomach. She whimpered and sunk into the faery's lap. She worried at her godmother's robes, pulling and twisting the fabric in her hands. She flinched when she felt long fingers running through her hair, but relaxed when she felt her godmother's soft humming. Soon, she was drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p>Maleficent screamed on the inside as her beastie flinched away from her gentle touches. Her beastie was not supposed to do that; she wasn't supposed to feel fear, not when Maleficent was there to protect her. She knew that these reactions weren't Aurora's fault. It was all because some idiot noble decided to brutally flog her for her refusal to get married.<p>

She remembered a time when she allowed no physical contact herself. Truly, she was impressed that her beastie allowed physical contact at all, and sometimes even sought it out after what transpired. Maleficent was more than happy to oblige. She would do _anything_ to make her beastie happy.

"We are quite the pair," she murmured, looking down at her beastie's sleeping face.

She draped a wing over them and fell into a light sleep.

_To be continued…_


	7. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'm not sure if I got the correct use for rose hip. I did some research into it, but I'm not sure if I would trust the sources I found. If my formal education has taught me anything, it is to always question the source. **

_**Chapter 6**_

Over the following days, Aurora's strength began to return to her, bit by bit. She was able to walk more and more without Maleficent's assistance. She still did not stray too far from her godmother or Diaval, who sometimes watched over her while Maleficent attended to her duties to the Moors. She slowly began interacting with the Moor folk under the watchful eyes of Maleficent or Diaval, although her godmother had forbade her from playing any games that required strenuous activity, even though her wounds had closed, and all that remained were pink scars down her back. When she was not with the other faeries, she wandered through the Moors with either Maleficent or Diaval.

"Godmother, what flower is this?" Aurora asked during one such walk. She pointed out a flower with large pink pedals and the stamen sticking out.

"That, beastie, is a rose hip."

"It's beautiful!" Aurora beamed as she knelt down and sniffed the flower, but she did not pick it.

"It is also a very useful plant," her godmother continued softly. "It can be used to help fevers break when ingested as a tea."

Aurora smiled as her godmother explained the flower to her. Moments like these reminded her of her carefree youth when she didn't have the fate of two kingdoms constantly at the forefront of her thoughts. Before her sixteenth birthday, she shared many moments such as this one with her godmother. Remembering them brought both joy and a pang of guilt. No matter how much she wanted to, she could not return to that youthful innocence she once held for the world.

She giggled when a group of fair folk flitted past her. They looked brilliant in the high noon sun as they went about their business in keeping the Moors alive. She did not quite understand the full extent of what each of the inhabitants of the Moors did for the land, but the way Maleficent explained it to her, they made the beauty she saw possible.

"Aurora?"

"Huh? Oh, coming!"

She did not realize it, but her godmother had gone a few paces ahead of her when she wasn't paying attention. She scrambled to catch up and caught her godmother chuckling when she did.

"What?" she asked, trying to sound indignant.

"Nothing, beastie," her godmother replied with barely contained humor.

Aurora grinned. She rarely saw her godmother in such a light, and it always brought her happiness when she witnessed her godmother like this. She had heard stories some of the fair people tell her of her godmother's more carefree youth over the years during her many visits to the Moors. An old faery named Robin was particularly fond of telling her about how he and her godmother would go about the Moors to play pranks on unsuspecting fae. These tales always brought Aurora to a fit of giggles, and they also made her silently promise to make her godmother return to the way she was before Stefan betrayed her.

"What are you thinking about now, beastie?"

"Huh? Oh...uh...nothing, godmother."

"You cannot lie to me, beastie," her godmother replied in a vaguely affronted tone.

Aurora looked up to see olive eyes alight with something akin to delight. The expression on her godmother's face made her heart leap with excitement. "I was just remembering the walks we used to take through the Moors when I lived with my aunts."

Her godmother opened her mouth to respond, but she closed it before she said anything. Her eyes narrowed with annoyance, and she turned to stare at the distance behind Aurora.

"Godmother? What is it?"

"Maleficent! Maleficent!"

Aurora turned at the sound of Knotgrass's shrill voice, which answered her question. Her smile faded when she noted the expression on her "aunt's" face. Knotgrass's eyebrows were more furrowed than she had ever seen them. Her grey-blue eyes were large with worry. The pixie was looking around frantically for Aurora's godmother until she spotted the willowy faery standing like a statue next to Aurora. Her pink floral hat was askew, and she didn't seem to care all that much. Aurora also noted the absence of Thistlewit and Flittle. She stepped closer to her godmother, suddenly fearful of whatever it was that her "aunt" felt so desperate to speak to Maleficent about.

"Yes? What is it?" her godmother asked, sounding impatient.

"The humans—they demand we hand Aurora over immediately! They're charging her with treason!" Knotgrass squeaked frantically.

Aurora felt a sudden wave of dizziness hit her. She did not know how, but she ended up lying in her godmother's lap. She stared up at the worried faces of Maleficent and Knotgrass with an uncomprehending gaze of her own.

"Aurora?" Knotgrass shrieked.

"Beastie!"

"Treason? But why?" Aurora trembled. She bit her bottom lip worriedly. She felt as though her entire world was crumbling in around her, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She could not believe this was happening. She could not remember ever doing _anything_ that would result in charges of treason. Her rule was fair and just from the start. She had even taken up a personal crusade to helping the less fortunate through reforms to the laws that existed before her reign started.

"I don't know," her godmother answered softly. "But we'll figure this out." She looked up at Aurora's "aunt," and said in a serious tone, "Knotgrass, I need you to find Diaval and tell him to meet me at the Rowan."

Aurora barely noticed Knotgrass leaving. She kept trying to think of something that would make a charge of treason against her make any sense, but she found none, no matter what angle she approached it from.

* * *

><p>Maleficent held Aurora close, forgoing words as she rubbed circles over her beastie's scarred back. Her heart was shattering as her beastie made distressed sounds, and she knew that there was nothing she could actually do to comfort her. She was in a frightening state herself. Her mind was numb with shock. Thoughts came much slower than usual, and the few thoughts she did have were of how hopeless the situation had become. She had hoped that since she rescued Aurora from the castle, it would be as simple as giving the beastie time to recover, and then they could put it all behind them. She cursed Aurora's fate. Hadn't the girl gone through enough? Surely the universe was not that cruel. In that moment, she wished she could trade places with her beastie. She was more capable of handling such hardships; she was more callous than her beastie. Callousness just simply was not in Aurora's nature, like it was in hers. It made it possible for her to survive after Stefan betrayed her, but she could not allow Aurora to go down that same path.<p>

"Godmother, I don't want to die!" Aurora wailed. The shrillness of her voice made Maleficent cringe, but she said nothing about it.

"Hush, Aurora," Maleficent said seriously. "You are not going to die. I won't let anyone lay a finger on you." She nearly growled at the thought of anyone hurting Aurora any further, and she pulled her beastie closer for good measure.

She felt Aurora's grip around her waist tighten. She cocooned them with her wings and planted a firm kiss on the queen's brow as she trembled. She was frightened of losing her beastie. If she met the humans' demands, she was afraid that she was signing away Aurora's life, and she simply could not do that. But if she didn't, she would be sacrificing the Moors. Tears fell from her eyes as the reality of her predicament sunk in. Aurora would not sacrifice the Moors, even to save her own life. And the Moors would be hard pressed to give up their queen, even at the cost of thousands of souls. Maleficent was sworn to protect both, and the impossibility of the decision she was faced with ate away at her heart.

"G…godmother?" Aurora squeaked.

"Hush, Aurora," Maleficent murmured, her voice cracking with sadness and regret.

"I've got to go… It's the only way…"

Maleficent stiffened. She looked down at Aurora with a grimace. "You don't have to do any such thing. I can keep you safe, here in the Moors." Her voice rumbled with intensity, and she got a sudden flashback to how she felt when she found out why Stefan stole her wings, and the bolt of energy she sent forth as a result. She maintained enough control this time to prevent another incident like that one. Using magic like that was a waste of precious energy that could be spent in other, more productive ways, and it might frighten Aurora more than she already was.

She blinked when Aurora's hand came up to cup her cheek. She leaned in to the gentle touch and sighed. Her body trembled from all the emotions coursing through her that she couldn't show, even if she wanted to.

"I can't allow anyone to sacrifice themselves for my sake, godmother. I couldn't live with myself if anyone died on my behalf…"

Aurora leaned against the faery. She went limp, and Maleficent lifted the human into her strong arms.

"I can't lose you, beastie," she confessed, her voice heavy. She hid her tears against Aurora's shoulder. "I can't live without your smile…"

She felt slender hands slip around her neck. When she pulled back slightly, she was stunned that there were lips pressed against her own. Soft lips. Sweet lips. She closed her eyes and returned the kiss without really thinking on it. It was tender and fierce all at once. She could feel the love on those succulent lips. She pulled back to look into darkened aqua orbs and pressed her forehead against Aurora's. "Beastie…" Her voice was husky. That was something she had never experienced before, even with...no, she refused to think about _that_.

"It's fine, godmother. I love you, and I know you love me too, even if you won't say it."

Maleficent felt a beast clawing at her mind, demanding that she give in to her baser needs. She stamped it down. Now was not the right time. Of course, now might be the only time. And the kiss might have been innocent, with nothing else intended in it. Humans were like that; it was something she had to accept, or be driven mad with their behaviors she simply would never fully understand.

"Godmother?" Aurora squeaked, sounding frightened.

"We need to meet Diaval to figure out our next step," Maleficent forced out. She spread her wings and flew back to her Rowan.

Her powerful wings beat against the air as she flew closer and closer to her home. Her strong arms held Aurora close. During the flight, her beastie fell asleep, much to Maleficent's gratitude. She did not want the queen to be awake during her conversation with Diaval.

When she landed in her tree, she was surprised to see not only Diaval, but Thistlewit, Knotgrass, and Flittle waiting for her. She frowned at the three pixies, already annoyed at their presence. She gently set Aurora in her bed before turning to address them.

"_Into a bird_."

"Mistress—whatarewegoingtodo?" Diaval asked in a rush, his words slurring together. He was looking at Aurora. His obsidian eyes were wider than Maleficent ever remembered seeing them.

"_I'm_ going to protect her," she replied fiercely. "I need you to return to the castle. Find out why the beastie is being accused of treason. Do not fail me, Diaval."

"I won't, Mistress…" He bobbed into a bow before she turned him back into a raven, and he flew off once more to the human kingdom.

"What about us?" Knotgrass asked, worrying her bottom lip.

Maleficent glared at the pixies, annoyed that they were still present. They were useless in a fight. And they could never seem to keep the beastie out of danger. As Maleficent remembered those sixteen years that Aurora was in the pixies' care, she was always the one to rescue the beastie, and the pixie trio were none the wiser. So she doubted that she could entrust Aurora's safety to them. Then an idea sparked.

"Inform Balthazar of what has happened. Then I want you three to evacuate all non-combative faeries deeper into the Moors." Maleficent kept her voice very stern; it was the only way to get this trio to understand. Her lips curved into a small smile as they set off to complete her tasks.

It was not until they were gone that she returned her focus to Aurora. _'And what to do about you? I imagine your regent will want to start another war if I try and keep you here…'_ That thought unsettled the faery. Still, she was willing to do whatever it took to keep her beastie safe, no matter the cost.

"Hn? Godmother?" Aurora mumbled blearily as she opened her eyes. She yawned, and Maleficent settled next to her, so that her beastie could cuddle her, if that was what she wished, which apparently was the case. "Where's Diaval?"

Maleficent draped an arm around Aurora's waist. It was a casual gesture, or at least she thought nothing of it. She blinked down at her beastie when she felt a pair of slim arms wrap around her middle. "Hm? I sent him to scout your kingdom."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Aurora asked in an alarmed squeak.

"Sh, it's alright, beastie. Diaval knows what he's doing. I sent him to find out why that troublesome regent made those ridiculous accusations against you."

Aurora frowned and scooted even closer to Maleficent, which the faery thought was impossible until she did it. The young queen shuddered before Maleficent draped a wing around her protectively.

"Do try and sleep, beastie."

Aurora yawned, which ended in a squeak. Maleficent chuckled softly at that, finding it both amusing and adorable. In a matter of moments, her beastie was once again in her dreamland.

With Aurora sleeping soundly, Maleficent's mind wandered back to the kiss from earlier. Those thoughts were certainly more pleasant than anything else she had thought about recently. She wondered if Aurora had meant anything by it, or if it was something innocent. She shook the thought away.

What really held her attention was her own reaction. She could still feel her primal nature clawing at her mind, demanding to be released. Did she love the beastie in a way that was more than the maternal bond she had been keeping it at for so long? Sure, she thought the beastie was beautiful, caring, and innocence personified. But desire for the human queen? She could not deny to herself that there was _something_ there, though she was uncertain what it was at this point.

_'When this is finished, and if we both survive, I will give more thought to this.'_

She nuzzled Aurora's hair and inhaled the girl's scent. The queen smelled of the earthy Moors, and that was a huge comfort to the faery as she slowly dozed off with _her_ beastie in her arms.

_To be continued…_


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: This chapter was a challenge to write, as I struggled to convey the depth of emotion and motivation for both Maleficent and Aurora. Also, this chapter was a b*** to edit. **

_**Chapter 7**_

Aurora let out a long sigh. She was leaned up against her faery godmother, as she so often did since returning to the Moors. They were watching the wallerbogs throwing mud at one another. She found the sight amusing, but she was saddened that her godmother still forbade her from joining in. It was true that her back still pained her from time to time, though she now had long pink scars that replaced what was left of the scabs and would forever serve as a reminder of that incident, and the pain it brought. The bruise on her cheek had long since healed.

"What is it, beastie?" the faery asked as she cracked open a nut with her rear teeth.

"Huh? Oh, I was just thinking how fun that looks," Aurora replied forlornly.

"Beastie, not until you are completely healed," her godmother said seriously. "You don't want to strain yourself too much. If you do, then I'll have to continue carrying you everywhere." She flashed a half-smile.

Aurora blushed at the thought. She relished in those tender moments she was getting to share with her godmother. Those memories were precious to her in a way she dared not voice, lest she lose further moments with her godmother. She did not bother arguing the fact that she felt perfectly fine. Instead, she shifted closer to her faery's warmth.

"Autumn is approaching," her godmother commented.

"It is," Aurora agreed. She took the offered berry from her godmother's fingers. "Godmother, I think it is best if I return to my kingdom, at least to take care of those false charges." As soon as she spoke those words, she wished she hadn't. Her godmother's arms wrapped possessively around her and squeezed until it hurt.

"What if it's a trap?"

"Godmother, he's going to starve my kingdom! I can't allow that." The latest news from Diaval was that Lord Gregory had raised the taxation on crops and livestock to the point many farmers would starve in the coming winter. Rent prices were also on the rise. "He's starving them so he can raise an army against the Moors. While I know the Moors don't really need a queen, I can't allow him to destroy these lands."

"Beastie…"

"If I had just agreed to marry, none of this would have happened!" Aurora groaned, frustrated with everything about the predicament she found herself in since the night William decided to take the matter of her refusal to marry into his own hands. It was that night that her life began to crumble around her, and she felt largely powerless to stop it. The one thing that she could do was to meet the charges placed against her head-on. At least by doing that, she had a choice and self-determination, which were things she did not seem to get as queen. Every day of her reign, she had to seek her counsels' advice on matters of state. She understood the reasoning behind it, but it still slowed her down on matters dealing with keeping the peace with the Moors. She was more free living as a peasant than she was as queen, and it was aggravating.

"Aurora!" Maleficent snapped, and the queen looked up into swirling golden-green eyes, and she knew the faery was bordering on going into a frenzy. "I will not tolerate you blaming yourself for the actions of others."

"But godmother!" At the stern look in Maleficent's eyes, she stopped. Her cheeks reddened with shame, and she looked down. She _had_ to make her godmother understand what she was trying to accomplish. She also felt an irrational need to prove herself to her godmother. She wanted to be seen as a strong queen, and to be otherwise meant that her godmother might somehow be disappointed in her.

She heard her godmother inhale deeply. Her breath caught in her throat. "While I find your plan foolhardy and beyond dangerous, I can see no other way around it. Which is why I will accompany you."

"Godmother!" Aurora felt hot tears brim in her eyes. She blinked them away and turned to bury her face into the crook of Maleficent's neck. She did not know why her godmother had a sudden change of heart, but she was not going to question it. If she did, that might lead to further arguing between them, and she was tired of arguing on the subject.

They remained enveloped in the other's arms for the remainder of that day, whispering words of comfort and solace. Aurora fell into an exhausted sleep at dusk with Maleficent's wing acting as a blanket from the cool night breeze blowing through the Moors that night.

_She ran and ran through the darkened corridors of her castle. Her bare feet slapped against the cold stone floor, and with each slap, an echo reverberated against the suffocating walls. She had to get away. There was nothing else but that desire to escape._

_ Off in the distance, she saw the shadowed silhouette of a horned figure. She knew who that shadow belonged to... _

_ "Godmother!" she cried desperately. She reached her hand outward, but only touched air. She tried harder with the same result. _

_ The shadowed silhouette appeared to go farther away, making Aurora run harder. She had to get to her godmother, she just had to. _

_ "GODMOTHER!" _

_ The scenery dissolved around her, and she felt as though she was choking on the nothingness enveloping her. Just as soon as everything disappeared, she found herself in her throne room. The chamber was filled with people, from the highest noble to the poorest peasant. Sitting on her throne was someone she both recognized and came to loath over the last few weeks, Lord Gregory. Standing next to him was another man, but she could not see his face, only his tall shadowed frame. In the middle of the assembly was her godmother, in iron chains. _

_ "Witch of the Moors," Lord Gregory said, his voice booming. _

_ Aurora watched helplessly as her godmother glared up at Lord Gregory. She could feel the seething emotions coming off the faery in waves. The air in the chamber was tense, and she held her breath, knowing that there was no good outcome. _

_ "You are charged with the death of my son, as well as the murder of our queen."_

_ "No! She didn't do it! I'm still alive!" she cried, but no one heard her. In fact, it seemed that no one saw her. "Godmother! Godmother, please!"_

_ "What say you in your defense?"_

_ Maleficent bowed her head in defeat. Her shoulders slumped forward in shame and defeat. She did not say a single word. _

_ "Godmother…" Aurora wept weakly. "Please, you've got to get away…"_

_ "I hereby declare that you will be put to the block for your crimes, witch!"_

_ "NO!"_

* * *

><p>Maleficent woke in the middle of that night to her beastie thrashing and moaning. She looked down, alarmed at the way her beastie's face was contorted with her eyebrows furrowed and frowning.<p>

"Godmother! GODMOTHER!"

"Aurora! Aurora, wake up!" Maleficent tried shaking her beastie's shoulder in an attempt to wake her up. It seemed to work at first, but as soon as she was confident her beastie was waking, she fell deeper into the nightmare.

"Godmother! Godmother, please!"

"Aurora!"

"Godmother…" Her beastie started crying. "Please, you've got to get away…"

"I'm right here, Aurora!"

"NO!"

Maleficent had to hold her beastie down to prevent her from flailing out of the tree. She winced as Aurora's fists struck her stomach and sides, but she did not falter in holding her young queen down.

"Please, Aurora! Come back to me…" she pleaded. Hot tears stung her eyes, but she refused to allow them to fall; she blinked them away. Crying now would not do anything to help Aurora.

She did the only other thing she could think of to get Aurora to wake up; she leaned down to kiss her beastie on the lips, just as they had done three days before, after they learned of the accusation of treason against Aurora. It was gentle and loving and so full of the depth of devotion she felt for her beastie. She cupped Aurora's cheek tenderly before she pulled back.

"Ah!" Aurora gasped as she bolted up and opened her eyes. Her head swiveled around; it was obvious that she was frightened. She was gasping for air and completely oblivious to her surroundings; it was as though she were somewhere else entirely. That terrified Maleficent in ways that words could not describe.

She backed away as soon as her beastie woke. She watched and waited with the stillness of a gargoyle statue while the human struggled for air.

"Beastie…breathe. It's alright." She reached out, but did not touch the girl for fear of the reaction she might receive for an unwanted touch. A well of tears brimmed in her eyes again as she waited for her queen to regain awareness for her surroundings.

This was Aurora's third nightmare since they found out about the accusations of treason placed against her. Each night, Maleficent woke to slaps and Aurora thrashing in their shared bed. And every night, Maleficent struggled to wake her beastie until she resorted to a kiss on the lips.

"Oh, god…" Aurora sobbed. She hid her face in her hands and trembled from the after effects of the nightmare. Her breaths were shaky.

"Beastie…" Maleficent murmured helplessly. She knew exactly what Aurora was going through; she went through it herself when she was about the same age…when her wings were stolen. What she did not know was how to comfort her beastie, and that left her feeling like she had somehow failed. She was supposed to be able to drive away all fear from Aurora's life. She was supposed to _be there_ for the little beast.

"Godmother!"

Maleficent braced herself as Aurora practically tackled her. Under any other circumstance, she would have smiled at something like this. Now, she just felt hallow. She held her beastie close to her trembling body, and her wings draped around them in a safe cocoon, shielding them from the rest of the world.

"Oh, beastie… Sh, it's going to be alright. I'm here," Maleficent murmured soothingly, her voice catching at the end of each word.

"I—I can't lose you, godmother!" Aurora whimpered.

Maleficent stiffened. So that was what this particular nightmare was about? The first one had been Aurora dying. That night had been particularly hard on Maleficent, but she still managed to comfort Aurora back to sleep after a couple hours of the beastie's frightful sobs. The second one was the Moors burning. That one left both of them in a mess, and they spent that entire day holed up in the Rowan while Diaval performed Maleficent's daily patrol at the border and gathered food for them, which they did not eat much of.

"You're not going to lose me, Aurora," she said softly, but with a firm undertone. She rubbed circles along Aurora's back. Honestly, she would much rather give up her own life than watch Aurora perish or the Moors burn. She needed both of them to survive; they gave her purpose. But she also considered, with dread, what Aurora would be like if she died. If a nightmare had this effect on her beastie, she shuddered to think what would happen if she died. She swore to herself that would only happen if she was protecting Aurora.

Aurora hiccupped. "I'm sorry I woke you…" She sniffled and wiped the snot leaking out her nose.

Maleficent blinked. Her beastie was sorry for waking her? _'Ridiculous,'_ she scoffed mentally.

"Aurora…" she said, her voice heavy. She took a moment to gather her thoughts while her beastie peered up at her. She ran her thumbs across Aurora's tearstained cheeks while she struggled to not falter in her next words. "Do not apologize for waking me. You had a nightmare. Those things are out of your control. You're scared, so it is only natural."

"But you haven't slept in three nights," Aurora whimpered.

Maleficent smiled sadly. "Oh, beastie…" She wrapped her arms once more around Aurora, and her grip around her queen tightened protectively, as though if she held her close enough, the nightmares could be chased away. She knew that wasn't how it worked, but that did not stop her from hoping. She was also in awe at how after everything Aurora had gone through recently, she still found it within herself to be more concerned with Maleficent's wellbeing than her own. "I can survive off very little sleep." She was lying, of course, and she felt tainted for doing so, but it was all to protect her beastie. She could not allow for Aurora to be concerned for her when the human's own welfare was in question.

"In the nightmare—you—you were—Lord Gregory accused you of—of _killing_ me!"

Maleficent frowned as she gently pulled Aurora away so that she could look into her eyes. The hurt in her beastie's eyes devastated her.

* * *

><p>Aurora tried desperately to hold back her tears as she looked into her godmother's eyes. She did not want to appear weak; she was coming to despise the feeling within her. She was tired of the night terrors, and she hated that she was keeping her guardian up all the time with them. She was frustrated with Maleficent's near calmness every time she had one of her bad dreams. That was all they were, she kept telling herself, but no matter how many times she tried to convince herself of that, she could not shake the ill feeling in her gut whenever she thought of the accusations of treason against her, or her impending return to the castle.<p>

"I would never hurt you, beastie."

She nearly crumbled at the hurt in Maleficent's voice. She leaned against the faery's soft breast and let out a shuttering sigh. "I know, godmother," she said softly in an attempt to keep her voice from wavering. "It was just a bad dream…"

"Yes…"

"Tomorrow," Aurora said. She released a shuddering breath as she pulled away to look up at Maleficent's quizzical gaze. "I want to face Lord Gregory tomorrow. I am tired of not sleeping because of his false accusations."

"If that is what you wish, beastie," her godmother sighed. Her wings drooped, and she slouched in defeat.

"Thank you, godmother…"

"I will be at your side. You won't be alone."

Aurora took comfort in knowing that her godmother would be with her through to whatever end met them. She whimpered as she curled around her faery. She was worried about the consequences of meeting Lord Gregory's demands, but she could not allow herself to be viewed as a weak queen, a queen without conviction. She was going to go in and hold her head high, just as her godmother taught her so early in her reign. And somehow, she knew that with Maleficent at her side, everything would be all right in the end. With those thoughts, she was able to fall back asleep.

* * *

><p>Maleficent hummed a soft lullaby while her beastie slept. All the while, unsettling thoughts further disturbed her. She had went through such lengths to keep Aurora safely hidden in the Moors, and now the beastie was insisting on going into the mouth of the monster. That left her with one option; to go with her queen. She knew that whenever Aurora set her mind to something, there was no real way to talk her out of it. That was one of the traits Maleficent admired about her, but now it was becoming troublesome. She knew that this brash move could get her beastie killed, and she simply could not allow that to happen, not without a fight.<p>

She looked up when she heard a soft "caw" coming from the top branches of her Rowan. Diaval had returned. "_Into a man_," she sighed halfheartedly. She flicked golden magic at the raven.

"Mistress!" Diaval said breathlessly as he straightened himself. He bowed respectively at the harsh look she threw at him.

"What news, Diaval?" she demanded in a near whisper, not wanting to disturb Aurora after she had just gotten the beastie back to sleep.

"It seems Gregory is starting to conscript men into his army," he informed solemnly. "He's hell-bent on taking the Moors for himself."

"Is he now?" Maleficent tried to sound uninterested in this fact. It was something she had many years of practice doing, but deep down, she feared the outcome of such determination. It was true that no human ruler had managed to annex the Moors outright, but the possibility was never far from the protector's mind.

"Every hour, more nobles are joining his cause," Diaval continued. He was fidgeting with his hands and barely looking at Maleficent.

"Hmph!" Maleficent huffed. "What of the boy? Did you deliver my message to him?"

"I did, Mistress."

"And?"

"He said that he would do what he could to help."

Maleficent let out a long sigh of relief as she leaned her head back to prop her horns against the tree's trunk. She closed her eyes for a moment, filing the information away before bidding Diaval go and rest.

"Mistress?"

"Aurora intends on returning to the human kingdom tomorrow," Maleficent growled.

"Is that wise?" Diaval asked worriedly. His eyes flickered between Aurora and Maleficent.

"I advised her against it every time she's brought it up in the past three days," the faery huffed. "She is a stubborn little beast, and this situation must be dealt with."

"Yes, but there must be another way!"

Maleficent shot him a dangerous look for being so loud. She shushed Aurora back to sleep when she stirred. She flicked her wrist at him and turned him into a mouse.

He squeaked angrily at her as he scurried away from her wrath.

_To be continued…_


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: For those of you who have kept with this story so far, I thank you. Thank you for putting up with me toying with your feelings. Updates might be coming slower in the future. While I have the next few chapters already in rough draft form, I am pursuing a job that will hopefully accumulate hours, but that means less time to put into my creative outlets. But I need to pay my bills.**

**Chapter 8**

Maleficent woke with the rising sun feeling not well rested, and that in of itself was an understatement. She woke each time Aurora would squirm or start, afraid her beastie was plagued with yet another nightmare. After a couple tense moments, Aurora stilled, leaving Maleficent to fall back into an uneasy sleep.

"Beastie," Maleficent murmured softly. She stroked the sleeping beauty's arm gently.

"Mrmph. Huh?" Aurora opened her eyes. She blinked owlishly and winced at the brightness of the sun that was already making its ascent through the sky.

"It's time to wake up, you little beast." The faery forced a strenuous smile.

"Godmother, did you even sleep?"

"I got plenty of rest," she lied. She pressed her lips firmly against Aurora's forehead, and was shocked at the hand that snaked its way up toward the base of her wings. They spread to near their full glory at the touch, and she shivered. "Beastie?" Her eyebrows furrowed as she searched Aurora's face for anything to give the beastie's intentions away.

"I need to go...back to the human kingdom," Aurora said in barely more than a whisper.

"Must you?" Maleficent asked in one last effort to prevent Aurora from going, trying to keep her voice free of disappointment. She was also trying to take advantage of the uncertainty she heard in her beastie's voice. She felt vaguely guilty for it, but she had an ill feeling about allowing Aurora to return to the humans after the way one of them treated her. The memory was one that still plagued her with unpleasant dreams. She rested her forehead against Aurora's, and she found that she was not quite sure _why_ she did it. Perhaps it was to steady her foreboding thoughts. She stretched her wing muscles as slender fingers gently ran through her feathers.

"No!" Maleficent practically shrieked. She yanked away and came close to hyperventilating as memories of waking one morning without her wings surfaced in a most painful way.

"Godmother?" Aurora whimpered, looking hurt. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!" Tears sprang to her eyes.

Maleficent turned away quickly to avoid looking at her beastie. She glared down at the black mouse glowering up at her. She was seething, and sparks of green magic flowed freely from her clenched hands.

"Godmother, please! Say something!" Aurora was sobbing.

The faery bit back her irrational fear. She _knew_ that Aurora could never intentionally harm her; it simply wasn't in the girl's nature. Still, she could not just shake the petrifying fear that gripped her so suddenly. She took several deep, calming breaths in an attempt to center herself.

"Aurora...I'm sorry..." She refused to look up at her beastie, fearing the hurt she knew she would see. She drew her wings in close.

"It's alright, godmother," Aurora said softly. "I didn't mean to upset you..."

Maleficent looked up. She felt a hard lump lodge its way into her throat, and she swallowed it down. "No, Aurora...it is I who should be sorry..." She closed the distance between them and held her beastie close to her. "Forgive me?" She looked down, pleading with her eyes.

"You're forgiven!" Aurora said immediately, smiling.

The faery felt her heart lighten at the smile, which she had always treasured. She cupped her beastie's cheeks between her hands and brushed her queen's unruly hair out of her face. A small, sad smile graced her lips. She was constantly amazed at how easily Aurora had always forgiven her for her transgressions; it seemed almost unfair. She had cursed Aurora as an infant and killed her father, after all, and though Aurora had long since claimed to have forgiven her for those terrible crimes, she would never completely wash the stain those actions left on her soul. She felt almost tainted for coveting the time she spent with her beastie...

"Godmother...I really must be going back to the castle," Aurora said sadly.

"Well then, we will need a horse," the faery replied, looking down at the mouse. She stepped away from Aurora to take the creature into her hands. She extended her wings and floated down from the tree, landing gracefully before putting the mouse down.

"_Into a horse_."

The mouse squeaked as her magic hit him, and he turned into a black horse. He pawed at the ground and snorted.

"Oh, don't give me that!" Maleficent quipped harshly. She shot a disapproving look at Diaval that conveyed her tense mood before turning back to Aurora and helping her down from the tree. She lifted her queen easily onto Diaval's back before settling behind her.

She was a little surprised at how Aurora leaned against her as they rode Diaval toward the human kingdom in silence. She wrapped her arms around her beastie, telling herself that it was to keep Aurora from falling off.

"You're sure about this, beastie?" Maleficent inquired seriously as they reached the border between the kingdoms. She glanced down at Aurora, searching for any sign of doubt or fear.

"I am," Aurora responded firmly. She rested her head against the faery's shoulder and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Aurora prayed to any deity who would listen that she wasn't making a huge mistake. If she was wrong, then more than just her life was at stake, and she could not allow anyone else to get hurt on her behalf, especially her godmother.<p>

She listened to her godmother's heartbeat. The steady th-thump th-thump th-thump lulled her into a near sleep like state. She was still aware of her surroundings, and how her body shifted with Diaval's movements. Her hands reached for Maleficent's, and she gave her godmother a gentle squeeze, which was returned almost immediately.

"I'm right here, beastie," her godmother whispered in her ear.

Aurora scooted closer to the faery in response. She blushed as she felt soft lips against her temple, and she felt a foreign feeling in the pit of her stomach. She stiffened at it.

"What's wrong, beastie?" Her godmother sounded worried, and that made the feeling intensify.

"I—I'm not sure," she admitted. "I feel—strange." She squirmed, trying desperately to alleviate the foreign feeling.

Diaval snorted and threw his head a couple times.

"Stop laughing, Diaval," Maleficent snapped.

"Godmother?"

"Aurora, you are probably just nervous about returning to your castle," the faery said, soothingly stroking her hair. "We could turn back if you'd rather remain safely in the Moors."

Aurora shook her head. "I can't do that."

"If that is what you wish," Maleficent sighed heavily.

* * *

><p>She knew precisely what was making her queen so uncomfortable, of course. She could smell the arousal on her beastie. The air was thick with that sweet scent. It drove the monster welling up inside her mad, especially with the way her beastie was squirming against her.<p>

'_No!_' she screamed internally, willing herself to remain in control. '_She is too young! Too innocent! I helped raise her!_'

'_She's an adult by human standards_,' her own mind taunted her.

'_No; it would be wrong_…'

The warring inside her lasted for a long duration of the ride. Aurora had dozed off as they passed the outlying farms, and Maleficent was thankful for this. It gave her time to stamp down on her impure thoughts that were driving her positively mad with something she did not understand. She certainly did not need to be thinking such things, especially at a time like this. She was doubly glad that Diaval could not speak, although she could tell that he was snickering at her from the way he snorted and whinnied.

"Diaval, hush! You'll wake the beastie!" she hissed. She kicked him in the sides for good measure. That got him to fall silent.

The remainder of the trek back to Aurora's castle was filled with tense silence as Maleficent considered what she was going to do to her beastie's council for the poor way they treated her. She could place a curse on each of them, but she had the distinct impression that Aurora would beg her not to, and she could not deny her beastie anything. She could kill them outright, but again, Aurora would not like that at all. She could frighten them to the point that they would never dare go up against her beastie ever again. Now that was something her beastie would likely allow. She contemplated how she was going to go about pulling that off.

She doubted that the humans had forgotten their fear toward her. Not enough years had passed for them to forget how she had cursed their queen and waged a sixteen year long war against Aurora's father after killing the girl's grandfather. Granted, the incident with King Henry was simply defending her home, but the humans did not see it that way.

She put her thoughts aside as Aurora stirred. She looked down with her unwavering gaze as her beastie woke.

"Godmother, are we there yet?" Aurora asked through a stifled yawn. She rubbed sleep out of her eyes, and Maleficent found the display oddly cute.

"Not yet, beastie," she answered softly.

"Godmother—I—"

"Yes, beastie?" Maleficent tried to keep any impatience out of her voice. She gazed into her beastie's eyes.

"Whatever happens—I—thank you for everything…"

Maleficent's jaw dropped slightly. She struggled for words for a long moment. Her beastie was afraid to face her council. The faery was expecting this, but that did not prepare her for the way she wanted to hold Aurora close to her and promise to vanquish all the girl's fears. She held Aurora and rested her chin atop the queen's head in an effort to compose herself.

"Beastie—I'll tell you what's going to happen. You're going to go into that castle of yours with your head held high, just as I taught you. Then you're going to show your subjects that you are not a queen to be reckoned with. I will be at your side to the end, no matter what they try and throw at you. I can assure you, they will fail so long as I draw breath."

* * *

><p>Aurora twisted to sit with both her legs dangling from Diaval's side. She stared up at her godmother with her mouth agape. Her godmother's words rang in her ears.<p>

"So long as you draw breath? Godmother, are you expecting to die in there? Because I can't allow that!"

The hurt that crossed her godmother's face reminded her of a horrible day that seemed so very long ago. It was the day she found out about the curse her godmother placed on her, the day she found out her faery godmother wasn't really her godmother at all, but the wicked faery Maleficent. The expression on the horned faery's face reflected the one she remembered from that dark day.

"Aurora, I didn't mean—they can't hurt me."

'_Yes, they can_,' Aurora wanted to say. She wanted to tell her godmother that she was the key to hurting the faery. She shuddered at the thought of the council using her to get to her godmother, and she found that the thought sickened her. She wrapped her arms around her godmother's neck and rested her head against her shoulder.

"Promise me that you'll take your own safety into consideration?" Her voice was quiet, as it caught in her throat. She could not bear looking up at her godmother, so she focused on the rolling hills in the distance.

"Aurora," her godmother said firmly. "I will not allow anyone to harm you, ever again. I know I was remiss to my earlier promise that no harm would come to you for as long as I lived; I intend to keep it this time."

Aurora all but wept as her godmother planted her lips on her forehead. She tightened her grip around her godmother's neck, and refused to let go until they reached the bridge leading to the castle.

"Beastie," her godmother murmured. "We are here."

Aurora took a tentative look around. Her guards were coming out to meet them, with spears pointing toward them. She gulped as her godmother lifted her off Diaval's back; she could not remember her godmother untangling from her grasp, or dismounting Diaval. She nodded to the faery before facing her guards.

"_Into a bird_."

Diaval cawed and flapped his wings to get into the air, where Aurora was certain he would be safe.

"Your Majesty," said the taller, drawing her attention back to the guards. His voice was a deep tenor. He appeared cautious of both Aurora and Maleficent.

"You would do well to point those spears away from your queen and her protector," Aurora commanded, mustering as much authority into her voice as she could. She had to admit that it was much easier with her godmother at her side.

"Lord Gregory has accused you of treason," the guard replied.

Aurora frowned. '_So it is him… William's father…_' She tilted her chin up in a show of her power. It was all for show. Deep down, she was terrified for her life as well as her godmother's, but she couldn't let that show. "Take us to him."

"Yes, Your Majesty. But not the Witch of the Moors." He glared at Maleficent with what Aurora could only describe as pure, treacherous loathing. It did not bode well for them.

She watched as her godmother arched a brow at him. "If I really wanted to pass, you could not stop me," she said in a voice that was not meant to be challenged.

"Godmother, please," whispered Aurora. She shot her godmother a pleading look before turning to the guards. "Maleficent is coming with me," she declared. "If you value your lives as they are, I suggest you cooperate."

The guard considered her words for a moment. "If she tries anything, she dies," he snarled.

"Beastie, might I suggest you remove him from your guard once we settle this," she heard her godmother whisper in her ear.

Her lips thinned at the recommendation. She was hoping that she could change this guard's opinion of her godmother through example, that she could change everyone's mind with enough time.

She swayed as the doors to her castle swung open. She would have fallen had her godmother not been there to prop her up. She gripped the faery's offered arm as the two guards flanked them, and took slow but steady steps through the crowded throne room toward the dais where on her throne sat Lord Gregory.

Even though his face was hidden in the shadows, she could tell that he was leering at her. Several men that she could not quite recognize stood behind him, likely a new council to suit his wants.

She glared up at him as her godmother supported her through the room. She put a great deal of effort into ignoring the whispers of those they passed.

"The Witch of the Moors..."

"What is _she_ doing here...?"

"Our disgraced queen is holding onto the witch as a lover..."

"I knew she was a rotten one..."

"To the core..."

"They'll both get what's coming now..."

"The guards ought to have struck them down upon coming here..."

"I hear the queen killed Lord William because he refused her..."

_To be continued_…


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: This chapter was actually a lot of fun to write, for reasons. This is one of those chapters I was really looking forward to writing and sharing when I started this project. Be warned, there are probably lots of Malora feels ahead, depending on your sensitivity level. There is a scene in this chapter that got inspiration from a fan comic that I saw on Tumblr a little while back. To the person who created that (if you're among those reading this), thank you for the little bit of inspiration that provided me. I'm sorry, I cannot remember who the original artist is, and there is a lot of stuff to sort through to find you. If any of you know what I'm talking about after reading this, if you would kindly let me know who drew that lovely fan art, please let me know so that I can give proper credit. **

**Chapter 9**

Maleficent kept her beastie close to her as they walked side by side through the throne room and to the edge of the dais. She was constantly assessing the threat to her queen, with two guards flanking them, many more guards standing between them and the crowd gathered in the chamber, and the row of men standing in the shadows behind the throne where her beastie ought to be sitting. Instead, a man sat there, leering down at them. She concluded that he must be Lord Gregory. Her eyes narrowed dangerously at the old man who dared to so blatantly attempt to usurp her beastie's authority. Her lips curled into an unpleasant sneer.

Her wings shuddered of their own accord. If this proved to be a trap like she feared, escape would not be that easy. They were simply outnumbered. She could not just take Aurora and fly, as much as she wished to at that moment. Aurora would weigh her down too much, and then she would be shot down, leaving them both defenseless. If Aurora ran, there was a good chance the guards would catch her, even if she provided a distraction. If she proposed such a plan, she doubted her beastie would willingly go along with it, and that could cause more trouble than it would solve in the long run.

She kept her face trained into a passive expression as she waited for the usurper to address her beastie. And for his sake, she hoped he did so with the appropriate deference.

"Aurora," he said with a voice that carried throughout the chamber. Maleficent noted how he did not address her properly; it made the storm inside pick up in magnitude. He leaned forward slightly. "I see you deemed it appropriate to bring the Witch of the Moors with you." His voice sent Maleficent's teeth on edge.

Maleficent hissed before her beastie could stop her. She pretended to ignore the desperate tugging at her robes. She tilted her chin up and sneered at the man who was either brave or stupid enough to sit on her beastie's throne and address them in such a fashion; she guessed that he was the latter.

"I came here with Queen Aurora expecting the rumors to be false," she announced to the entire chamber. "Lord Gregory, you dare steal the throne from your queen?" She narrowed her blazing eyes at him, daring him to make his next move.

"She is no queen to me!" He spat. His words were met with some horrified gasps, and to Maleficent's horror, a few nods of approval. It sent chills down her spine to realize that not everyone was supportive of Aurora's reign.

"You swore to serve me at my coronation!" Aurora cried, clinging tightly to Maleficent's arm.

"Hush, Aurora," Maleficent murmured in her ear. "Do not waste your breath on him; I will handle this." She placed a gentle kiss atop her head, which got a few of the closest people whispering, before returning her attention to Lord Gregory and the rest of the nobility. She opened her mouth to rebuke him for speaking to her beastie so rudely, but he interrupted her.

"Aurora, I hereby charge you with treason!" Lord Gregory stood and pointed at the young queen. "Guards, seize them!"

Maleficent hid her with her wings as a few guards stepped forward. She shot them all a glare that dared them to take another step toward her. That look promised a death most painful should they attempt to harm a single hair on Aurora's head.

"And the Witch of the Moors, I charge you with the death of King Stefan!"

"You have no right!" Aurora shrieked. She struggled to get out of Maleficent's protective hold over her.

"Aurora, no!" She stopped at the look Aurora gave her. Her beastie's brows were furrowed with worry, and there were tears welled up in her blue eyes. She was silently begging Maleficent to do nothing, and the faery could not disobey such a plea, as much as she wanted to. She loosened her grip, but did not completely relinquish it. Every muscle in her body was poised to snap into action should the guards make their move...when they made their move.

"I passed laws protecting the Moors and all its inhabitants!" Aurora said regally. The way she held herself with her back straight, head held high, and the way she maintained eye contact with Lord Gregory made Maleficent's chest swell with pride.

Maleficent had to admit in that instant that her beastie was no longer the child she was so stubbornly holding on to. She was still her beastie, but she was a grown woman, and a fantastic queen. She stepped closer to Aurora in a show of support.

"You would destroy many generations of tradition!" Lord Gregory snarled. "Guards! Take them away! They will meet the block in the morning!"

Maleficent snapped her wings to their full glory. She let out an enraged battle cry as she batted guards away from her beastie.

"NO!" Aurora cried. She struggled against the faery's grasp around her waist. "Stop!"

"Aurora, please—" Maleficent pleaded in a low snarl as she ducked with her queen from a pike. It missed by mere inches; she could feel the tip of the iron radiating heat as it brushed past her left wing. She twisted and slammed her wing against the guard with enough force to send him flying back. He crashed to the floor a few feet away with a look of pained shock.

"ENOUGH!"

Maleficent glared up at Lord Gregory, but she kept her focus on the guards coming in to circle around her and Aurora. Her eyes narrowed dangerously as she calculated what it would take to get her beastie to safety.

"You are surrounded, witch," he spat. "The next move you make will mean your death."

She turned at the sound of heavy footsteps marching behind her. The spectators cut a path between her and the door for a group of twelve crossbowmen. They had their bolts aimed at her.

"Aurora, I'm sorry…" Tears burned her eyes. She had failed her single most important job, to protect Aurora. Lord Gregory was right; they were surrounded, and no matter what she tried next, she was not going to get out of this alive. She also had doubts that Aurora would make it if she sacrificed her own life.

* * *

><p>Aurora looked up at her godmother with eyes filled with worry. She searched her godmother's pain stricken face, wondering what the faery had planned. Whatever it was, it certainly could not be good.<p>

_'Oh god, no! This is not what I had planned! How do I fix this? I've got to fix this! It's all my fault!'_

She glanced around frantically, searching for some escape she could utilize. She _had_ to get her godmother to safety. Her godmother had followed her back to the castle, even though she didn't want Aurora to return in the first place, and now Lord Gregory was bent on killing the faery, and it was all Aurora's fault.

A wave of dizziness hit her as the panic set in. She clutched to her godmother for support.

"Take them to the dungeons!"

"G—godmother—please, don't fight—don't want to see—you die." Her vision swam, and she felt bile burn in her throat.

She felt her godmother's long nails digging into her arms, but she did not comprehend much more than that. She was suddenly in someone's arms, and her face rested against a soft breast. Warmth enveloped her and kept the cold, hopeless feeling at bay.

It was a long while before she came to. She groaned before spilling the contents of her stomach onto the cold stone floor. She barely noticed a pair of hands holding her hair back while she purged her stomach.

It was so cold; the dungeons were cold; Aurora found out several hours after a guard unceremoniously pushed her and Maleficent into a shared cell. The stone floors were cold against her bare feet. Everything was damp and reeked of feces and urine and now vomit. As soon as she figured out a way out of this mess, she was going to order the guards who openly sided with Lord Gregory to clean the dungeons for starters. She wasn't sure if she could punish them further. That was assuming she actually found a way to free herself, and her godmother…

She curled up next to her faery, grateful that they were being held in the same cell. She could not imagine being in this by herself. She rested her head in her godmother's lap and whimpered as long fingers trailed through her tangled hair.

"Am I hurting you?" her godmother asked softly.

"No," she replied, her voice raspy. "I actually find what you're doing comforting…" She rested her hand on her godmother's knee and tugged at the fabric of her robes while she blushed. Having her godmother's hands running through her hair was soothing; she was close to falling asleep again, but she wanted to stay awake and soak in what time she had left with her godmother. She did not want to waste that precious time sleeping.

"Really? I'm glad."

Aurora's blush deepened, and she could feel her cheeks warm as she slipped her arms around her godmother's waist. "Godmother, I—I have a confession…"

"What is it, beastie?"

Aurora hesitated. She worried that her godmother would be angry with her for saying what was on her mind. That she was just entertaining one of her many fantasies, and that it would pass with time. At the same time, she had to say it, or she would die with regret.

"Beastie?"

"Godmother, I—I don't really know how to say this, but… Ever since your kiss broke the curse, I've thought there was something wrong with me…"

"Aurora—"

"I haven't met a man that makes me feel the way I'm told I should… Godmother, I only feel that way about you." She almost regretted saying anything as soon as the words left her mouth. Panic pumped through her bloodstream. She lifted herself up to look at her godmother's reaction.

She expected the shock: wide eyes, slightly agape mouth, and rapid breathing. What she didn't expect was the way her godmother stroked her cheeks.

"You…you have romantic feelings toward me?" Maleficent stuttered, something Aurora very rarely heard her do.

"Yes… And I wanted you to know, in case we don't—" She was interrupted by a kiss so heated and containing so much that she faltered with her words. She had wanted to say, _'in case we don't make it out of here alive.' _The words were forgotten as she struggled to process that her godmother was actually kissing her in a non platonic way.

She flung her arms around the faery and returned the kiss as soon as she realized what was happening with everything she had been suppressing over the years she had come to know and love the creature pressing closer to her. She slid her hands closer to the base of her godmother's horns, and a wicked smile crossed her lips at the moan she got in response.

* * *

><p>Maleficent pulled away gently. She looked down at blue eyes that were darkened, plump lips, and reddened cheeks. She took a moment to catch her breath. She leaned in toward her beastie's ear.<p>

"If you want this to continue, you little beast," she whispered in a sultry tone, "you cannot keep calling me your 'godmother'."

She smiled at the way her beastie shivered at her words. "Do I have your word?"

"Yes, go—Maleficent."

Maleficent's smile darkened at the near slip. She dismissed it and leaned forward to capture another kiss, this one slower and tenderer. When she felt a small hand cup her breast, she bit and sucked on Aurora's lower lip before retreating with a gasp. She tilted her head back as her beastie's hand squeezed. "Curious little beastie," she groaned.

"Maleficent…"

Green eyes met blue, and she knew that if she didn't regain control of the situation, things were going to get too heated, and that wasn't how Maleficent wanted things to happen between them. She placed gentle but firm hands on Aurora's shoulders and pushed back.

"Aurora… Not here. I want your first time to be someplace special. Like the Moors." She felt incredibly silly saying it like that, but she meant every word.

The frown on Aurora's face nearly made her resolve falter. "But we might not get another opportunity to express what we feel…"

"Yes, we will," Maleficent declared firmly. She pulled her beastie into her lap and held her. "We _will_ make it out of this alive."

_'And when we do, Lord Gregory will pay for putting you through so much grief,'_ she promised silently.

She hummed a soft lullaby to get Aurora back to sleep. It did not take long before her beastie went limp and began snoring. Her eyes softened as she stroked Aurora's hair.

The memory of just how close they had come to…being intimate made Maleficent blush. She had some difficulty processing the new development in their relationship, but she did not find Aurora's advances unwanted. She cherished their moments together. In fact, this all made sense when she really thought about the last few years. All the stolen glances she caught when Aurora was certain that she wasn't looking. The way Aurora's smile slowly changed from youthful innocence to something more that Maleficent could not quite pinpoint, that now she attributed to hints about how her beastie felt. The way Aurora seemed to always accidentally brush her hand against Maleficent's during their walks through the Moors. And the kiss Aurora placed on her lips a few days ago made so much more sense now. The memories intensified Maleficent's blush.

"I love you, beastie," she murmured, pulling Aurora closer and wrapping her wings around them for protection against the cold. "And nothing will ever change that." She planted a firm kiss against her beastie's temple. She smirked slightly when Aurora shifted and moaned drowsily.

* * *

><p>Diaval cawed frantically as his Mistress and hatchling were taken down to the dungeons. He could not believe his Mistress would simply go along with being captured. There had to be something else going on. Maybe she had a plan? That was what he tried telling himself to make sense of a very confusing situation.<p>

He circled around the castle, searching for a way he could get down to the dungeons to release his Mistress and Aurora. The castle was locked up tighter than it had been in years. All the windows were shut, under Lord Gregory's orders, and everyone seemed to obey him either out of fear or loyalty. Diaval was afraid to discover which it was.

Despite the hopelessness of the situation, he continued to search for a way inside. He _had_ to rescue his Mistress and Aurora.

After circling the castle a couple times, he landed on a nearby tree while he considered everything going on. The hatchling was being accused of treason, and no one was standing in her defense. She had no champion outside his Mistress, and that made him even bitterer toward the humans. If they would not stand with their rightful queen when she needed them most, they had no right to reap the benefits of her rule. Then there was the fact that his Mistress had simply given up and submitted herself to the dungeons with Aurora after she came close to coming to real blows with the humans. Surely, she could defeat them… _'So why did you submit?'_ He shuddered.

"—going to finally get what's coming to her," said a stoutly man in black robes.

Diaval perked up and listened intently. Was he talking about his Mistress? He parted his beak in anticipation.

"If I were Gregory, I would have ordered her execution today," replied another with a somber frown. "We need to purify our kingdom, and to do that, we must get rid of Aurora and her witch."

"I heard that Gregory is going to give Aurora one last chance at repentance. But the witch is to die on the morn."

Diaval clicked his beak before he glided above them silently. He could not allow them to do that to his Mistress or Aurora. He _had _to get inside the castle; he _had_ to find them, before it was too late.

He slipped into the castle without anyone's notice as the nobles returned to their chambers. As much as he wanted to continue eavesdropping on them, he knew that time was limited.

When he reached the entrance to the dungeons, he found the door closed. That simply would not do. Much to his disappointment, the bars acting as a window to the door were too small for him to squeeze through. It was then that he noticed a large silhouette with horns and wings in the far corner of the dungeon. He found his Mistress!

He cawed softly, hoping that was enough to get her attention. When she did not stir, he pecked at the bars.

That did the trick. She looked up, and he could see the green glow of her eyes as their eyes met.

"Diaval—" Her voice was hoarse. It sounded as though she had been crying.

"Hn? Maleficent? What's going on?" The second voice belonged to Aurora.

Diaval felt relief at knowing that they were both kept together. He cocked his head to the side at the fact that Aurora called his Mistress by name instead of Godmother. That was a conversation for later. Right now, he had more pressing issues to worry about.

"_Into a man…_"

"Mistress!" Diaval hissed. He fought against the door, but it was still locked. "Arg! The door's locked!"

"Diaval, one of the guards will have a key."

"Diaval! Oh god, please, you've got to get us out of here!" Aurora cried.

"Hush, Aurora… We don't want the guards to hear."

"I will find a way to free you," Diaval promised them.

_To be continued…_


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: I am only vaguely sorry about this chapter. As a warning, many of you will probably not like some of the content; in fact I expect many of you will probably hate me after this. For those of you who follow me on Tumblr, this is that chapter I mentioned that I'm expecting the torches and pitchforks to show up in my email inbox. Coco, thank you for giving me the confidence I needed to keep this chapter as it is. I do not write to please; I write the content to make the story progress in the way I am "told" through whatever madness it is that takes hold when I write. And another thank you to Coco for helping me with a minor but necessary detail. You know what I'm talking about...**

**Also, on a side note, it has recently come to my attention that there is a group called Critics United who are forcing authors to take down stories. Due to this trend, I have also posted everything up over at AO3. Updates will still happen here, but if this story suddenly disappears, you will be able to find it there. **

**Chapter 10**

Maleficent's eyes widened as she heard the distinct pounding of armored footfalls against the stone floor. She gathered Aurora as close to her as was physically possible, going so far as to drape her wing around her precious beastie to shield her away from any potential harm.

"Mistress?" She could hear the fear crack in Diaval's voice.

"_Into a bird_!" She flicked her wrist in his direction quickly, and as her magic hit him, he transformed into a raven. It could not hit him fast enough, for the guards had come; she counted three silhouettes. Her heart pounded erratically with panic, but she kept her expression a passive mask so as to not frighten Aurora any further than she already was.

"No! DIAVAL!" Aurora cried, fighting against Maleficent's grip. The faery tightened her hold over her queen. Unadulterated panic surged through her, and she felt her throat constricting. It felt as though each moment went by in flashes that stood still for a second too long before they were gone, and another came.

She watched, feeling completely helpless as the guards managed to grab Diaval before he had the chance to fly to safety. Tears stung her eyes when the guards stuffed him unceremoniously into a birdcage. It was as though they had planned on him coming down to the dungeons, and they just waited for him to come to ambush him. The tears fell silently when he cawed.

"DIAVAL!" In Maleficent's numb state, Aurora managed to push her away and sprint to the door. "You release him this instant! I am your queen, and I command it! Let him go!"

The way Aurora screeched at the guards made Maleficent look up. It was so very unlike her beastie to sound like that. It broke her heart to hear Aurora sounding so distressed. Anger welled up in her at the guards, and specifically Lord Gregory for the further stress her beastie was being put under.

"You are no longer our queen," one of the guards sneered. He spat in her face.

"Ack!" Aurora stumbled backward and rubbed at her eyes.

Maleficent's wings twitched and her upper lip curled into a snarl as she swept over to her beastie. She shushed the queen as she swiped her fingers delicately over Aurora's eyes to get the spit out. She glared at the retreating guards with the intent to kill for the way they treated both her beastie and Diaval, and she growled.

"Maleficent…" Now Aurora sounded weak, small. She slumped against the faery, making their bodies meet. The closeness made Maleficent hyper aware of every breath either of them took, and the way Aurora's arms snaked around her back. "What are we going to do?"

"Hush, Aurora," Maleficent murmured. She held Aurora close and whispered words of comfort. In truth, she felt like she was at her end rope, and everything was crashing in around her. She saw no way out of their precarious situation, and while she was willing to meet her own end, she was not willing to give up on Aurora's life just yet. She could not; she _would not_. She cursed herself for willingly submitting to imprisonment, even though it was at Aurora's request. She groaned inwardly, and she wanted to scream her aggravation to the heavens.

"Aurora…" She pulled back only to lean down and pepper kisses over every inch of skin she could reach with her lips; on each of Aurora's eyes, her forehead, nose, cheeks, lips, chin, neck, everything…

"Maleficent?" Aurora breathed a sigh.

"Sh… Everything's going to be all right, darling Aurora…_my_ beastie." She rubbed small circles over Aurora's back while the young woman released her torrent of emotions. Aurora cried enough for both of them because Maleficent was unwilling to reveal the depth of her pain. All Maleficent could do was to try and comfort her beastie.

Once Aurora was reduced to hiccups and the occasional whimper, Maleficent led her to the back of their cell and gently lowered them so that Aurora rested in her lap. She ran her fingers through her beastie's disheveled hair until they both fell into a distressful slumber.

* * *

><p>Diaval cawed repeatedly while the guard holding his cage marched through the castle. He got increasingly louder with his insults: <em>Traitor, Scum, Oath-breaker, Scoundrel, Villain, <em>and everything else he could come up with. While he knew the guard most certainly did not understand him, he must have gotten the gist of what he meant.

"Be quiet, you!" The guard rattled the cage roughly until Diaval went silent.

Diaval's beady eyes glared at the guard with all the distaste he could muster. These guards, and their boss were going to pay for every second his Mistress and Aurora stayed in their cell, as soon as he figured out how to get out of his own cage. He ruffled his feathers.

"Lord Gregory," the guard said, announcing his presence and bowing as a show of deference. "We've caught the witch's familiar." He lifted the cage, and Diaval was able to glare at the man responsible for so much pain for his Mistress and hatchling. He was going to peck this man's eyes out as soon as he got out of his cage, and he might leave him alive for his Mistress to deal with as she saw fit. He anticipated that she would want to deal with this man in her own way, and he was inclined to acquiesce that desire.

Lord Gregory peered down at Diaval with a smile that made the raven's contempt rise. Diaval shuddered with disgust at the way the human lord was gazing at him, like a child who caught a bug and was planning on ripping the wings off.

Lord Gregory looked at the guard. "You have done well, son. Hang him just up there. I want him to watch as we execute that witch." He waved his hand in a dismissal before he left the chamber.

"Sir!"

Diaval resumed his racket. This time, he rattled the bars of his cage with his beak. He swung his cage from the chain the guard attached it to for the rest of the night in an attempt to crash the cage to the floor and break free. Dread filled him with each passing hour, for he knew that if he did not escape, he could not rescue his Mistress.

His attempts to break out of his tiny prison did nothing but tire him out. He fought against his exhaustion. He was unwilling to give up, no matter what.

_'Mistress…'_ was his final thought before he lost his battle against his own body. He fell to the bottom of his cage with his wings spread out.

* * *

><p>The only reason that Aurora was able to sleep at all that night was that she felt so drained. It was a dreamless sleep, and she could not even muster the energy to be grateful for that small blessing.<p>

When she opened her eyes, she did not move. She could hear Maleficent snoring next to her. She drowned in the sound, desperately trying to memorize it. Hearing Maleficent snoring did wonders for her nerves, but her stomach was still twisted in a tight knot that it had tangled itself into upon returning to her castle and facing the charges laid against her.

She whimpered and gripped Maleficent's robes. She tugged on the fabric and curled into a tighter ball.

"Beastie?" Maleficent's soft tenor sounded as though the faery was also drained of all energy.

Aurora lifted her head and met Maleficent's eyes. What she saw broke her heart more than anything else ever had. Maleficent's eyes were pale green, almost like she _wanted_ to be angry, but couldn't tap into her energy enough to actually feel anything. The way Maleficent looked at her, with her eyebrows slack and her lips set passively sent a jolt of fear through Aurora. She leaned against her faery, her rock, her _everything_, and cupped those sharp cheekbones she had always been fascinated with.

"Aurora…"

Their forehead met, and they just held the other. Both were silent; there was nothing more they could really say, not in that moment at least.

Aurora's grip around Maleficent tightened when she heard the distinct sound of footsteps against the floor coming closer. She felt Maleficent return the embrace with just as much desperation behind it.

"Maleficent—I love you!" she whispered quickly before a sob broke through.

"Sh, I know, I know," Maleficent replied.

Aurora felt her head being tilted up, and before she could say anything else, she felt lips pressed against her own. The kiss was fiery, sweet, loving, and desperate all rolled into one. It told Aurora all she needed to know, that no matter what happened, Maleficent would always love her. She returned that kiss, trying to convey the deep well of things she felt for Maleficent in that one act.

"You two are coming with us!"

Aurora pulled away from her love and glared at the guard who dared interrupt what may very well be her last moment with Maleficent. She allowed for Maleficent to help her to her feet.

They were both handcuffed in iron. She could hear Maleficent stifle a pained hiss through clenched teeth. Her stomach dropped as she realized that Maleficent would be unable to use magic if things went south, or at least more south than they already had. Two pairs of guards escorted them out of the dungeons. She fought against the two guards escorting her whenever they touched her shoulders or elbows, only to have their grips tighten painfully. She was sure that she would find bruises, assuming she survived whatever it was that they were dragging her to.

They were brought to the courtyard, where courtiers were gathered around a wooden platform. Atop the platform was none other than Lord Gregory, surrounded by some of Aurora's old council and a company of knights. On the far end was a brutish man in a black cowl holding an ax.

Aurora's stomach dropped. An executioner…they were going to be executed.

"Aurora!" Maleficent cried. She turned to see the faery struggle to get to her, but the two guards responsible for her smacked her down.

"Maleficent!" Anger, she felt angry at the men for hitting Maleficent. She tried to reach her, but the guards held her forcibly back. She sobbed, afraid of what was going to happen next. She feared for Maleficent, and it hurt knowing that she might have to watch her be executed right in front of her. She couldn't bear it; it was all too much. "Don't touch her!"

"Enough!" Lord Gregory barked. Everyone gathered turned to him. Aurora shot daggers through her eyes at him. She never wanted to hurt someone as much as she did at that moment, and it was all because of the pain he was causing Maleficent. "Aurora…Witch of the Moors…for your crimes against the kingdom of Alba, you will both be executed by beheading."

"Lord Gregory!" Lord Alphonse came forward, wheezing and shaking in his decrepit age.

_'No,'_ Aurora thought in despair. Her tears somehow became thicker as they flowed down her grime smeared cheeks. _'Alphonse, no!'_

"She is still our queen," he continued. "You have no right to execute her." He pointed at Lord Gregory accusingly.

"Then you will be first," Lord Gregory declared. "Guards!"

"You're a tyrant, Gregory!" Aurora shouted amongst the gasps from the courtiers. "My kingdom will not stand for this!"

"The kingdom is no longer yours," Lord Gregory sneered.

Aurora watched helplessly as a pair of guards stepped forward to drag Lord Alphonse to the executioner's block. Her heart pumped wildly as her councilman was kicked down to his knees. In his frailty, it must have broken a few bones. She winced.

"Aurora!" Maleficent cried, sounding desperate. "Don't watch! Please…don't watch this…"

She could not turn away, despite Maleficent's pleas. Her eyes remained peeled open as the axe came down on Lord Alphonse. Tears streamed freely down her cheeks as his head rolled away from his fallen body. Blood splattered. There was so much blood. It made her ill, but she had nothing left in her stomach to purge. She swayed with dizziness, and she would have collapsed if the guards weren't holding onto her. It took her a few moments to shake the weakness away, and once she did, she was livid.

"What the Hell do you want, Gregory?" Aurora shrieked as the head was held up for display. She felt veins popping in her neck as she struggled against the guards holding her back from launching at him.

Lord Gregory sneered down at her self-righteously. The expression made Aurora repulsed, especially because it came so immediately after an execution of one of his colleagues. "What I want from you, Aurora is a male heir, which you seem disinclined to give your kingdom because of that vile Witch of the Moors."

"If I give the kingdom that heir, will Maleficent go free?" She cringed against the cries and pleas of her love. She blinked back hot tears. She didn't want to shed any more. She didn't want to appear weak. Through all of it, she refused to look back at Maleficent and see the pain she knew she was causing. She struggled to swallow the lump lodged in her throat as she waited for him to answer.

The smile on Lord Gregory's face was absolutely nauseating to Aurora. He rose to his full height to address the crowd. "Take Aurora to her quarters and keep her there while I deal with that witch."

"NO!" Aurora shrieked. She struggled against the guards who were trying to take her away. She _had_ to reach Maleficent. Their lives depended on it.

"AURORA!"

"MALEFICENT!"

Aurora kicked and screamed against the two guards dragging her away. She yanked against their hold to no avail. Still, she did not completely give up. She couldn't...

She watched helplessly as Maleficent used her wings to send the guards flying back from her. The screeches that her love sounded sent chills down her spine. It was exhilarating and frightening to watch.

"Guards!" Lord Gregory barked furiously.

Aurora's eyes widened, as crossbowmen lined up and aimed at Maleficent. "MALEFICENT! LOOK OUT!"

Someone hit the back of her head, and her vision went hazy for a few seconds or minutes; she wasn't entirely certain. She recognized that she was being dragged away from the scene, but she did not comprehend much more than that.

"Aurora!" The voice sounded weakened in her dazed state.

She blinked, confused. She tried to shake the fog over her mind away, but found that it was easier said than done. Then her entire world went black…

_To be continued…_


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I think I might be vaguely sorry for the cliffhanger on the last chapter. If it makes any of you feel better, I did feel sick to my stomach for a little while after writing it, so maybe I do have a shred of humanity left.**

**Chapter 11**

Aurora felt woozy when she came to some time later. She was uncertain exactly how much time had transpired, and she didn't want to open her eyes to find out. Her head pounded with her heartbeat, and that just made everything worse. She could tell that she was in a bed based off the softness around her. Someone had taken great care to tuck her in. Who would do that though? She didn't think she had any allies left in the kingdom... She groaned as the memories of why she hurt came back.

She had declared her true feelings for Maleficent, and the faery returned them. Diaval was captured and held hostage somewhere, or dead. She was terrified to discover his fate. She had stood by and watched helplessly as one of her advisors lost his head…simply for defending her against Lord Gregory.

Lord Gregory… Just the thought of him and everything he's done to her made her gut tighten. And Lord Alphonse… She cried silently for the unnecessary loss of life.

When she took the crown after her father's death, it was Lord Alphonse who taught her the history of her kingdom. Nearly every afternoon for the first three years of her reign, she met him in her private study to learn from him. He was always very kind to her during those long and tedious lessons, but he fostered her desire to learn everything she could about her kingdom. It was through his history lessons that she began to discover her heritage and understand more about the long wars her ancestors waged against the Moors, and thus uncover more about why Maleficent distrusted humans so much. She was also able to formulate new laws that banned iron and protected the Moors because of Lord Alfred's lessons. She even began to see him as more than just a member on her council; he was her mentor and almost like family. While it was just the two of them, he even began calling her just Aurora instead of Queen Aurora or Majesty, names that Aurora was quick to tire over. She viewed such formalities as stifling. Aurora began acting more like herself instead of a queen during her history lessons, much to his bafflement at times. It was a time for her to relax in between endless hearings that constantly called for her attention. Those were the only moments outside of when she was alone in her private chambers or in the Moors when she could act more like herself, and now she would never get to have those times again.

She was going to miss him dearly. His death left a hollow void in her soul, but it wasn't the only reason she felt like a hollowed husk of her former self.

_'Maleficent…'_ She could not remember if Maleficent made it out of the courtyard alive, and she was more than a little afraid to find out. If she opened her eyes, and Maleficent was no more, she was not sure if she could go on living. If Maleficent was no longer in this world, then she figured she had nothing more to live for. The thought of a world without Maleficent petrified her.

She delved further into her memories. Anything to avoid facing whatever reality she awoke to.

Aurora remembered those long nights after sneaking into the Moors without her "aunts" catching on. She _lived_ for each night she went to secretly spend time with Maleficent and the other Moorland creatures. Maleficent had taught her so much during those fleeting months of her youth that felt so far away now. The way Maleficent held herself back then was so different from how Aurora saw her now; back then, there were so many walls that Aurora fought to climb over. Sometimes Aurora felt like she was getting through to the dark faery, but then there were other instances that Maleficent pulled away, and Aurora had to fight even harder to get anywhere. Over time, Aurora began believing that Maleficent would be with her forever; that no harm could come to her so long as she was near Maleficent. And then that fateful day happened that she discovered the truth behind who Maleficent was. Of course, back then she didn't have the full story because her three pixie "aunts" didn't possess all the information. Grief and betrayal drove her when she ran back to her father's castle, and it was there that she exposed the dark and terrible truth behind Maleficent's curse on her; that heartache and treachery drove her into darkness that stemmed from Stefan stealing her wings. Once Maleficent's kiss woke her from the curse, and the faery explained everything to her, she forgave Maleficent; although, at the time she did not realize that it was because she loved the faery in more ways than the maternal bond it started as.

It took years to work to that conclusion. The first time she realized it was during her visit a year ago. She was supposed to be in the Moors for only three days that time. Her visits had become shorter, fewer, and farther between, mainly due to her responsibilities to the human kingdom. On the night before she was supposed to go back, she was curled up next to Maleficent in the hammock-nest-bed in the faery's Rowan. They had just spent the day simply walking through the Moors, enjoying the other's company like they used to during the months leading up to Aurora's sixteenth birthday.

Aurora was trailing circular patterns along Maleficent's arm.

"What is it, beastie?" Maleficent had asked, her voice driving a shiver down Aurora's spine both at the time and in the present. The faery's voice had that affect on her; it had since the first time they met when Aurora had coaxed her shadow out of the brush.

"Huh? Oh—I was just thinking how nice it would to just stay here and never return to the castle." She had sighed wistfully. Looking back on this moment, Aurora wished that she _had_ decided to stay in the Moors. If she had, none of the terrible things the past few weeks would have happened…

The look in Maleficent's eyes puzzled Aurora. "Beastie… You can't abandon your duty…" The gentleness in her touch as she stroked Aurora's cheek brought fresh tears to her eyes as she looked back on the moment. She would give _anything_ to feel Maleficent's touch again, and she doubted she would ever get the pleasure again. She hurt simply thinking about it.

"Godmother, the men on my council block me at almost every turn," she pouted.

"And that is why you must continue to rule as their queen. It is because of you that we have peace after hundreds of years of conflict."

"But I love you…"

"And I love you," Maleficent chuckled. Looking back, Aurora realized that the chuckle was forced, almost like Maleficent was hiding something, even though they had promised to each other to always be honest. "Now go to sleep, beastie. You have a long journey tomorrow…"

The air that hung over them felt thick, but Aurora closed her eyes and fell into a pleasant slumber with her faery pressed against her for warmth. Oh, how Aurora was going to miss those moments if she continued living.

What really hurt after everything she had gone through recently was that she had finally declared her love to Maleficent and had it returned in kind before they were violently torn apart. The loss she felt was unlike anything she had ever experienced. It shattered her without any regard to how she was affected, and she doubted that she could ever pick up the pieces. She could never love anyone as she had loved Maleficent…

She finally allowed herself to release everything she was trying to hold back. The numbness that hazed her mind gave way to a pain that was simply unbearable. It was worse than being flogged. This time, she had no savior, she was sure. The physical pain that her sobs brought on was nothing compared to the raging storm coursing through her mind.

"Maleficent…I'm so sorry…"

She started when she felt a slender hand grip her shoulder. She could not believe what she was seeing when she finally forced her eyes open. Was she dreaming? Hallucinating perhaps? She knew there were herbal drugs that could induce such a state, and she didn't doubt that Lord Gregory would employ such methods of torture. Still, she almost didn't care what the reason was.

"Maleficent?" she asked in a small, uncertain voice.

The tall faery smiled before drawing her into a bone-crushing embrace, which she returned as soon as she realized that Maleficent was indeed in the flesh. Her sobs grew louder, and she noticed that Maleficent was also bawling.

"Oh, Aurora… Sweet Aurora…"

"I was afraid…" Aurora whimpered. She buried her face into the crook of Maleficent's neck.

"Sh… It's all right, Aurora. You're safe now. You're safe," Maleficent whispered soothingly.

* * *

><p>Maleficent held Aurora and rocked them back and forth. She was simply relieved that Aurora was awake, that the guards hadn't been too rough on her. She ran her fingers through Aurora's flaxen hair.<p>

She knew that she had a lot to explain, but she wanted to wait until Aurora was ready. She didn't know if she was ready herself to divulge everything that had happened during their escape.

"Maleficent…where are we?" Blue eyes that were red and puffy from crying looked up at her.

"That cottage those three dolts raised you in," she answered gently. "In your old room."

Aurora sighed, and Maleficent felt the woman she loved loosen her grip. Within moments, she was sleeping again, and snoring softly. Maleficent was content to hold her; it was certainly much better than waiting next to the bed for any sign of life for two nights. She guessed that Aurora had to be hungry, but she would wait a little while longer to feed her beastie anything. For now, her love needed to rest.

She was determined to never let Aurora go, not after what happened. She was going to keep Aurora safe, no matter what. Even though she kept breaking that promise time and again, she was more determined than ever to keep it. Her beastie had gone through too much.

Maleficent held Aurora through the night; she was simply glad that she had successfully rescued her love from Lord Gregory's clutches. Thinking about the man who caused her beastie further pain made her magic flare and around her, and she did not bother containing it. Aurora was sleeping; she would never know the rage currently flowing through her. As soon as she was finished picking up the pieces and rebuilding Aurora's life, she was going to punish the humans who supported Lord Gregory, regardless of the cause for their treachery. Then she was going to make Lord Gregory suffer; she was going to make him regret ever living when she was finished with him, and she had absolutely no intention of Aurora ever finding out. While she had promised to be always truthful to her beastie, she could not expose her to such vile things.

She stiffened when she felt Aurora stir. She looked down into her beastie's cerulean eyes, eyes that she could get lost in for an eternity if she wasn't careful. She did not realize the affect they had on her until it became apparent that she had nearly lost Aurora. She bit back a sob at the thought.

"Maleficent… So it wasn't a dream…" Aurora sounded weak, weaker than she ever had, and her smile only added to the sickening knot formed in Maleficent's stomach.

"No. I'm here, Aurora," Maleficent murmured tenderly. She stroked her cheek gently before leaning in for a soft kiss. While any act of intimacy made her feel vaguely uncomfortable, she was willing to endure it if it meant getting to see Aurora smile. She inhaled her beastie's scent before sitting back up. "How's your head…?"

"Hn? It's fine…I'm fine, Malle." Aurora sat up, and despite Maleficent's attempt to keep her down, her young lover insisted. They both compromised to having Aurora lean against Maleficent, at least until Maleficent was satisfied that her beastie was as fine as she claimed.

"Malle?" She peered down at Aurora with an arched brow that feigned dissatisfaction at the pet name.

"Mmhm," Aurora hummed drowsily. "I promise to only call you that when we are alone." She snuggled closer to Maleficent.

Maleficent was perplexed, but she was not necessarily displeased with the name. She hid her smile, not wanting to encourage her beastie any further than absolutely necessary. She let out a half-hearted huff to keep up appearances.

"I'm glad you're alive."

Maleficent blinked. She kissed the top of Aurora's head. "I gave you my word that no harm would come to you so long as I lived. I could not very well keep my oath if I died, could I?"

Aurora let out a half-hearted laugh at Maleficent's attempt at lightening the mood. She stretched up to kiss Maleficent. It was a quick peck of the lips, but it was all Maleficent needed to know how much her beastie loved her, and how devastated she would be if anything happened to her.

"How did we escape?" Aurora asked with a frown.

Maleficent thought back to the moment Aurora promised to sacrifice her happiness in order that Maleficent could be spared the chopping block. The compromise caused Maleficent despair beyond all that she believed was possible to feel. She knew that Aurora loved her, truly loved her, and then she saw that love at work in a way that made her want to retch and vomit. She was the Protector of the Moors; Aurora wasn't supposed to be the one protecting her. She was supposed to be the one keeping Aurora safe. It was humiliating and heartbreaking all at once. She fought back the storm of emotions the memory brought forth.

"Do you remember the crossbowmen?" she asked after she gathered her tumultuous thoughts. She wrapped her arms around Aurora's waist in preparation for what she was about to tell her beastie. She wanted reassurance that her beastie was there, although she would never admit to the vulnerability her beastie brought forth from her. She saw it as the quickest way to exploit both of them. That was something she would never allow to happen again.

"Yes…I begged for you to get away from them…I thought they were going to kill you…"

"They almost did," Maleficent admitted somberly. She had used her wings as a shield. The pain from the bolts puncturing her still remained as a dull reminder of part of what it took to escape with Aurora. "I got lucky. Once they had all fired their bolts, I began fighting against the swordsmen."

The swords were made of iron. The cuts burned into her after they cut her skin. She had shrieked from the pain and desperation she felt. Aurora was all that mattered; she had to get her beastie to safety above all else.

"I had to get to you," she continued. "You were screaming, and I thought…I thought they were going…to kill you… The guards knocked you out before I got to them. I killed them before I took you and ran."

Blood…there was so much blood coming from Aurora's head. Aurora was unresponsive and cold. She feared for the worst, but she was not going to abandon Aurora's body to the whims of humans. If her beastie was in fact dead, then she was going to offer her a proper Moorish send off to the netherworld before she marched upon the castle and slaughtered everyone inside.

"Some of the guards followed us. I lost them as soon as I could."

Once she determined that Aurora was alive, at least in the meantime, she hid her beastie in the roots of one of the older trees half a league away from the castle. Then she began the long and precarious process of leading the guards off their scent. It wasn't easy, especially with the iron shackles still burning into her wrists. Thrice, they almost caught her, and if they did, she was certain that her beastie would have died, after the guards either captured or killed her.

"Once I lost them, I took you here, where I know you'll be safe. That was three and a half days ago."

As soon as she was certain that Aurora's condition was stable, she worked in a frenzy to get the iron shackles off. It wouldn't do to have the human soldiers stumble upon their hiding place when Maleficent was unable to use her magic. It would have been much easier if Diaval were there to help, but he wasn't. Eventually, she resorted to using a glamour to hide her horns and wings and bartered with a nearby farmer, promising to give the farmer a bountiful harvest with her magic if he removed her restraints. He had agreed all too quickly, and used a handsaw to cut through the manacles.

"Where _we'll_ be safe," Aurora corrected gently, kissing her tearstained cheeks.

"Of course, beastie," she amended with a half-smile. She subconsciously tightened her hold around her beastie.

They were silent for a long while, before Aurora asked, "Where's Diaval? Did he escape as well?"

Maleficent frowned. Diaval's fate was uncertain, and it hurt. If she hadn't allowed for Lord Gregory to capture her and Aurora, Diaval would have never gone searching for them; he would still be free. "As far as I know, he is still in the castle... I only had time to take you and flee..."

"We'll get him back, Maleficent," Aurora promised fiercely. "Him and my kingdom. I cannot stand idly by while Lord Gregory bleeds my kingdom dry."

"Aurora…" Maleficent broke eye contact briefly. She took a moment to gather her words. "Gregory is still gathering his army—_your_ army to attack the Moors."

"We'll stop him, Maleficent…together…"

"You don't know how to fight… I cannot protect you in battle."

"Then teach me."

Those words burned Maleficent more than any iron could. She hid the pain behind a well-composed mask. "Aurora—"

"Maleficent, don't…please… This is my kingdom, and I will fight for it. I can't allow Lord Gregory to destroy all that I worked so hard to achieve."

"We might not have enough time," Maleficent argued. She hoped that Aurora would see the logic behind what she said.

"Then we'd better get started," stated the queen with a tone of finality.

Maleficent laughed in her mind at how persuasive Aurora had learned to become over the years since wearing the human crown. She was always able to create a swaying argument, but not like this. It was just one of the ways that she proved that she was no longer that innocent flower child Maleficent learned to love.

"We will see how you are feeling in the morning. Besides, I do not foresee Gregory marching the army in the dead of winter. We might have until Spring to prepare for war."

"I don't want to leave Diaval there for that long."

Maleficent sighed. "Nor do I, Aurora…but I cannot enter the castle without being captured myself. I am sure Diaval will survive for a little while." She held her beastie to her breast and hoped that she was right. She _had_ to be right. If she wasn't, she would be distraught; Aurora would be devastated, and she could not allow that to happen. _'No more pain, Aurora…I swear it. You will never be hurt again.'_ She gently tilted Aurora's head up and kissed her.

"What are we going to do, Maleficent?" Aurora asked. She sounded so vulnerable.

"We will rescue Diaval and take back your kingdom. As soon as you think you are able, I will teach you how to fight." She hated her own words, but she knew that the best way to protect Aurora now was to give her the tools to defend herself. That realization brought bile up her throat, which she swallowed back down forcefully.

* * *

><p>Aurora closed her eyes, but she did not fall asleep. She could not sleep, knowing that Diaval was in danger. She placed her ear against Maleficent's chest and focused on her lover's heartbeat. The steady beat of the organ pumping blood soothed her some. It reminded her that Maleficent was both alive and right next to her. She snuggled closer to Maleficent.<p>

"Are you cold, beastie?"

It was not until then that Aurora realized that she was shivering. She ignored the question and simply sought the warmth Maleficent provided her.

She felt a hand against her forehead. The contact was broken as quickly as it came.

"You're burning up…"

Aurora groaned. That was simply fantastic. She had basically gone to hell and back over the last few weeks, and now to top everything off, she had a fever. That explained some of the aches she felt throughout her body. She opened her eyes and looked up at Maleficent's worry stricken face.

"Aurora…I have to go and collect herbs for your fever," Maleficent said sharply as Aurora locked her arms around the faery's neck.

"What if Gregory's soldiers catch you?" Aurora murmured against Maleficent's collarbone. She kissed the skin there before nipping lightly. The act earned a sharp hiss from Maleficent, which only served to egg Aurora further on.

"Beastie…!"

Aurora felt Maleficent's hands tangle in her hair and pull slightly. She ran her hands through Maleficent's silky mahogany hair while she explored her faery's neck and collarbone. She kissed and nipped experimentally, trying to figure out how to get different reactions.

"Beastie…please…we need to stop…" Maleficent's breathing picked up pace as Aurora trailed a finger down the middle of her spine between her wings. The fact that Maleficent was so sensitive there gave Aurora an idea, one that she was not quite certain if Maleficent was going to like or not.

She trailed her fingers back up Maleficent's back; Maleficent arched closer to Aurora, making the blonde grin. She paused before scraping her nails down Maleficent's back. The strange hiss-moan that came from Maleficent's throat sent a pleasant shiver down her spine.

* * *

><p>Maleficent didn't know what was happening. She knew that she needed to get those herbs for Aurora's fever, but the things Aurora was doing to her made her feel things that she never knew existed. Within moments, it felt like her body was on fire. Her thoughts were jumbled in the fray. She wanted desperately to drown in the pleasure that Aurora was giving her.<p>

_'Time enough for that later,'_ she thought with a low growl. She placed her hands on Aurora's shoulders and firmly, but gently pushed her away. "Aurora, you're ill. I cannot take advantage of that… Stay here while I get you some tea." Before she left, she placed a gentle kiss on her beastie's hairline.

She did not stray far from the cottage. She doubted that Lord Gregory had stopped his search efforts for her and Aurora. The thought of him made her blood boil; it was a near constant state of being, but it got worse when she actively thought of him. She took several calming breaths through her nose.

Maleficent knew why it was a bad idea to march back to that castle and confront Lord Gregory herself, but that did not stop her from wanting to do just that. If she gave in to her rage, she would likely be killed, and then her beastie would be left defenseless. She had to think this through, plan, and become the embodiment of patience. She had been patient before, when she waited for sixteen years for her curse to play out. A few months ought to be nothing compared to a little over a decade and a half. At least that is what she tried to tell herself when her thoughts turned to counter arguments for why she should simply give in and rip Lord Gregory limb from limb while his men watched. She didn't even want to do that to Stefan. Of course, Stefan had never directly hurt Aurora. Lord Gregory did, and that was enough of a reason for Maleficent to unleash the sum of her wrath on him.

She stopped next to the desired shrub. She picked a few leaves before she used her magic to heal the plant. She carried the leaves back to the cottage.

When she returned, she started a fire and set water to boil. It took only a few minutes, during which Maleficent was able to further organize her turbulent thoughts. While she waited for the tea to steep, she gathered some berries and nuts she had collected the previous day into a small bowl for her and Aurora to share, as she was certain her beastie was hungry. She carried everything to the bedroom and spent the remainder of that day caring for her beastie, and warding off Aurora's advances.

_To be continued…_


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'm expecting roughly ten more chapters, but that is subject to change at a moment's notice. And if you've survived your feelings up until this point, I can almost guarantee that you will survive until this story comes to its end. I think I did lay pretty heavy on the angst in this chapter… Also, I apologize for the delay with this chapter. It was extremely difficult to write certain parts. **

**Chapter 12**

The next few days were quiet. No word came from Aurora's kingdom about what Lord Gregory was up to. All either Aurora or Maleficent knew was that it could not be good.

Maleficent often left the cottage during the day, despite Aurora's best attempts at pleading for her not to, to spy on nearby farms. It was a cause of contention between them, one that neither was willing to back down on. Maleficent would grow agitated whenever Aurora brought it up, while Aurora begged and cried for the faery to stay with her in the cottage, where it was safe. Aurora argued that it was likely that Lord Gregory had soldiers combing through the area near the Moors to search for them. Maleficent rebuked her each time that point was brought up. Those arguments ended with Maleficent firmly pushing Aurora away and storming off.

As the dark faery walked through the woods separating the cottage from the neighboring farms, she thought about the most recent argument she had with her beastie. Aurora had thrown quite the tantrum this time. She had stomped her feet, and her face was blotched with anger as she yelled about how she was left wondering each day if Maleficent would return to her. Maleficent had scoffed at that. Of course she would return. She had no reason not to. Without Diaval there, Aurora was _all_ she had to keep her sane. She would _never_ abandon her beastie. The thought was absurd. She was offended that Aurora would think that she would not return, and that left her feeling emotionally drained.

She left each day because it was the only way she could figure out how to gather information on what Lord Gregory was plotting. A couple of the farms were good sources of that information. They were the hardest hit when the tax hike went into effect. One even lost a son to conscription. It was heartrending for Maleficent to watch from the shadows as a young man barely out of boyhood was ripped away from his family to serve in Lord Gregory's army. What really tore at Maleficent was the thought that she might end up killing the lad in the coming battle.

Never before had she had any qualms about killing a human who was not her beastie, but the way his parents pleaded for the soldiers to spare their son made her ill to think about causing any further pain, especially to those who were swept up in a conflict they had no part in, one that they wanted no role in. And yet she knew that if it came down to the survival of the Moors or Aurora, she would have no qualms killing every last soldier. The fact that she had no hesitation to slaughtering innocent lives that were unwillingly brought into this conflict caused a chill travel down her spine. Her wings shivered of their own accord at the thought.

She forced her loud thoughts on the matter to quiet. She did not have the luxury of concerning herself with things out of her control. She had to put Aurora's life first, and that was what she was going to do, even if that meant her beastie resenting her. A resentful beastie was a live beastie, after all. She could live with that and deal with the fallout later.

She found herself hiding behind a tree near the farm where she witnessed the lad being dragged away to serve in Lord Gregory's army. She watched as the boy's mother broke down into sobs inside the hovel she called home, while the woman's husband worked harder than usual in the field. Maleficent concluded that he was trying to get a last batch of crops to grow before the frosts set in. She sent a small amount of her magic into the ground to jumpstart the process. It was the least she could do for the family for what she was likely going to be forced to do.

When her work there was done, she continued walking along the shadows. She made her way toward the Moors.

* * *

><p>Aurora felt empty as Maleficent left for the eighth time since she first woke up in her old bed in the cottage where she grew up after their escape from her castle. She slumped her shoulders in shame at the way she had thrown a tantrum earlier. While she had the best of intentions, to keep Maleficent safe, she knew that she was acting out of line. It was not how a queen should act; not that she really cared about that anymore. Her outburst was simply uncalled for, and she was going to pay for it by Maleficent giving her the cold shoulder later.<p>

All she wanted was for Maleficent to understand her, and to understand Maleficent in turn. She hated being left alone in the cottage, even though Maleficent laid out wards that would warn her if someone were to stumble upon the cottage, unintentional or not. Whenever Maleficent was gone, Aurora felt vulnerable. She didn't realize how much she depended on Maleficent's presence to feel safe, and that feeling ate away at her each afternoon.

The only thing she could do to keep her mind off such dark thoughts was to clean the cottage and make it livable again. Both she and Maleficent decided that the best thing to do was to stay in the cottage, as the Moors would be the obvious place to hide, and the summer nights were turning cooler with the coming autumn. While Maleficent could survive in the worsening conditions, Aurora couldn't.

As Aurora dusted the small dining area, she thought about Maleficent's promise to teach her how to fight and how the faery had yet to live up to her word. She knew logically that Maleficent must have her reasons, but it still lodged some ire toward her. She felt poisoned by the negativity she was beginning to harbor for her lover, but she could not ignore her feelings.

She largely felt responsible for the upcoming war she was going to fight to win back her kingdom. She didn't even want her kingdom in the first place! It had been the bane of her life for four long years. Her kingdom took her away from Maleficent, Diaval, and the Moors. Despite all that, she knew that she was the only one really capable of maintaining the peace between the humans and the Moors.

_'Oh, what a mess!'_ she thought. _'What happens when I die, and my successor turns out to be a greedy bastard? Can I really hope to sway people to not attacking the Moors? Can I really change generations of conflict in my lifetime? Or are we doomed to forever be at war? How can I fix this?'_

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she did not realize that the door swung open until she saw Maleficent standing in the doorway with a distant expression. She put down her cleaning rag and went to greet her faery, keeping some distance between them in case Maleficent was still angry with her; she expected Maleficent to still be upset over the most recent of their squabbles.

"Aurora…how was your day?"

She could tell by the intonation of Maleficent's voice that she was having trouble speaking the words. She smiled shyly as she looked up at Maleficent's sculpted face through her eyelashes. "I got the dining area cleaned."

Maleficent smirked. The way her lips quirked made Aurora's heart leap up into her throat. The faery stepped back briefly and reached outside for something before she brought a bundled cloth in front of her. "I…I brought you a gift."

Aurora blinked when she noticed how Maleficent's cheeks darkened. It was a subtle change, one that she would not have noticed in her youth, but she had learned over the years to watch for small changes in Maleficent's demeanor. She smiled reassuringly as she accepted the bundle, and she noticed that it was tied with care. She slowly undid the knots until she was able to peel away the cloth to reveal the hilt of a sword.

The pommel held a green jewel orb that reminded her of Maleficent's eyes. She ran her fingers over it with wonderment. She wrapped her fingers around the sword's black grip and found that it was the right size for her hand. She looked up excitedly at Maleficent, and upon receiving a nod of approval from her lover she unsheathed the blade. The blade was short and thin. From pommel to the point of the blade measured about the same as her arm.

"The blade is forged from a mineral found only in the Moors," Maleficent explained.

"It's beautiful…" Aurora beamed at Maleficent as she carefully sheathed her sword.

"I will begin teaching you tomorrow."

Aurora could barely contain her excitement at Maleficent's declaration. She carefully sheathed the blade and set the sword neatly against the wall before she tackled her lover. She squealed with delight as Maleficent lifted her up and spun her. As soon as she was back on her feet, her expression became more somber, as did Maleficent's. The weight of learning how to fight with a sword suddenly became very real to her. If she learned how to use the sword, she was going to have to kill. She might even end up killing men she knew...men she used to trust...

* * *

><p>Maleficent watched as the excitement left Aurora. She frowned thoughtfully. Agreeing to teach Aurora how to use a sword meant that she was going to have to accept that she was going to impart on her beastie how to kill. It did not settle well with her, and based on what she was seeing in Aurora at that moment, she knew that her beastie was also struggling with the realization of what it meant to use a sword. Joining in the war to come meant that Aurora might end up killing men she knew; it didn't matter that they were now fighting for Lord Gregory.<p>

"Beastie…" She drew her young lover into her arms and held her close. "Sh, I'm here… You don't have to do this, if you don't want to…" She was actually hoping that Aurora would back out, especially if fighting a war was going to have this affect on her. She did not want to see Aurora taint her soul in the way that taking the lives of countless soldiers would do. If they both survived, then she was going to be left picking up the shattered pieces left behind. She didn't know if she was the best-qualified one to do that for her beastie, but she might be the only one.

She swallowed the hard lump in her throat as those thoughts played out in her mind. It was not something she wanted to accept, but she would do whatever Aurora wanted her to. That was how everything had always been between them, at least to an extent, and that was never more true than it was in that instant. Maleficent didn't do much without first consulting Aurora, and her beastie never did anything without seeking Maleficent's counsel.

"I have to," Aurora murmured. She tugged at Maleficent's robes. "This is my fight…"

Maleficent's wings drooped, and her shoulders fell. She swallowed back the tears that threatened to break through. "You don't have to fight it alone," she declared fiercely. When Aurora looked up at her, her stomach dropped. Aurora's blue eyes were glistening; she was silently pleading, and Maleficent had several ideas of what it could be about, and she didn't like any of them. She held her beastie's chin firmly so that Aurora couldn't break eye contact. "I will be at your side, until the end."

"Why?" Aurora sounded churlish, which struck Maleficent as very odd. She blinked at the tone in Aurora's voice.

"Aurora? What's gotten into you?"

"Why do you always have to save me?"

Maleficent could see the tears threatening to break forth. She brushed them away gently, only to have Aurora slap her hand away. "Aurora—?" She remained still. She had been expecting an outburst like this for some time, but that could not prepare her for this, nothing could.

"I'm tired of having to rely on you all the time!"

"Is this what's got you so upset?" Maleficent was confused at the idea of Aurora not wanting any more of her help. She tried to backtrack, to figure out why Aurora was being so unlike herself so suddenly.

"So what if it is?" Aurora crossed her arms in a defensive stance.

Maleficent sighed as she tried to remain patient. She understood that her beastie was stressed, and the tension had been building constantly over the last few weeks. She was impressed that Aurora was capable of holding it together for so long, but now that she was finally snapping, Maleficent had no idea what to do. She knew it was a bad idea to try and hug her beastie in such a state from her own experiences when she was in a similar condition. She didn't know what she could say to calm her lover. She felt so helpless, and it frustrated her.

* * *

><p>"What am I supposed to do if anything were to happen to you?" Aurora continued. She glared at Maleficent, trying desperately not to reveal the pain she was feeling at that moment. Her voice shook, and she hated herself for that. Now was not the time to be showing signs of weakness. She watched as her lover jolted back a pace.<p>

Maleficent's wings came around her in a protective cocoon. Her eyes were cast down and away from Aurora. The reaction only served to rile her further.

"I'm not a child anymore, Maleficent!" she continued.

The way Maleficent looked up at her with a haunted expression made her falter momentarily. She didn't want to hurt Maleficent, but she also could not remain silent any longer. She began blubbering in her conflicted state of mind. She didn't even protest when Maleficent wrapped her strong arms around her and pulled her close. She returned the embrace as her sobs began breaking through her resolve to not cry in front of Maleficent.

"For the record, I know that you are not a child," Maleficent murmured once Aurora's sobs were reduced to pitiful hiccups.

"Why are you doing this?" Aurora whimpered sullenly as she leaned closer to her lover.

"What do you mean?"

"I just yelled at you…I insulted you, and you aren't lashing back…"

"Is that what you want?"

Aurora blinked. She didn't know what she wanted. All she knew was that she was frightened of how uncertain their future was, and she was angry with how collected Maleficent always acted around her when she _knew_ that there was no way the faery could be so calm with everything going on. What she wanted was for Maleficent to let her in on some of her inner turmoil, to show at least that much trust. She looked up when she heard her lover sigh.

"You have every right to be frustrated, Aurora. But please, don't ask me to fight you about this. I will be at your side, always."

Maleficent sounded weary. She pulled away enough that Aurora could look into her haunted green eyes.

"But you're always so calm. Don't you feel _anything_?" Aurora watched as Maleficent's expression darkened. It frightened her, but she tried to not let it show. The faery's silence infuriated her further; her own anger startled her. It was so much deeper than when she found out the truth about her heritage. She couldn't handle it; it was too much all at once.

* * *

><p>Maleficent took several deep breaths while she gathered her raging thoughts. She couldn't believe that Aurora was asking her such a thing, but then again, she had retained an outward appearance of calmness in her beastie's presence, if only to protect the young woman she loved so deeply. She knew from experience how harmful revealing her emotions could be on those she cared most for. She remembered those dark days when she sat on her throne of thorns. She could not expose Aurora to that.<p>

"Aurora…faeries feel things very deeply…so deep."

"But do you?"

She tried to ignore the accusative tone in her beastie's voice. Regardless, it cut deep…

_'Oh, how to explain?'_ She wondered what words would help her beastie to begin to understand the deep well of emotions she felt every second. Regardless of what approach she took, it wouldn't be easy. She would have to choose her words carefully. And she wasn't sure that Aurora would comprehend, even if she chose the right words. Still, she had to at least try…

"Aurora, I feel so much…I couldn't possibly convey everything to you."

"Is it because I'm human?"

Maleficent blinked. She really should not have been surprised by that response, but she was. "No."

"What then?"

"Faeries have to be careful with their emotions."

"Why?" Aurora interrupted.

Maleficent smirked slightly; she couldn't bring herself to become impatient at being interrupted. She was reminded of a simpler time for her beastie, when she would ask countless questions, and Maleficent answered them to the best of her ability.

"Do you remember how the Moors were when you first met me?" Maleficent waited for Aurora's nod before she continued, "And how they were at your coronation?" Again, her beastie nodded. "I am connected to the Moors. When I allowed darkness to consume me, the Moors were a gloomy place."

"But what does that have to do with anything?"

Maleficent's lips thinned. She tried to remain patient with her beastie, but she was finding it increasingly difficult at the moment. "Aurora, what good does me getting upset do either of us? Or Diaval?" she snapped, and she could feel the cottage and the surrounding clearing darken in her sudden anger.

Aurora stepped back a couple paces. She covered her agape mouth in an attempt to hide her shock, but Maleficent caught the way her face emoted. The young woman's eyes were wide with fright. She trembled as she continued to back away from Maleficent.

As quickly as it came, her ire left her. Her wings drooped and her shoulders hunched in both shame and exhaustion. She cast her eyes away from Aurora and refused to look up, even when her beastie squeaked her name.

"All I wanted was for you to let me in," Aurora whispered shakily.

Maleficent hid her pain behind a well-composed mask before she dared a glance up at Aurora. She regretted her sudden outburst, but at the same time, her beastie needed to understand _why_ she had kept her emotions in check this whole time.

"Malle?" Aurora bit her bottom lip, and the affect such a simple expression had on the dark faery was intense. It pulled Maleficent in, and before she realized what was happening, she was embracing her beastie.

"Aurora…forgive me?"

* * *

><p>Aurora wrapped her arms around Maleficent's waist and buried her face in the faery's shoulder. She felt her lover relax in her hold, and she panicked.<p>

"Malle—!" she grunted as she fought to keep her lover standing.

"Hn?" Maleficent seemed to come to her senses because she was standing on her own in an instant.

Their gazes met, and it was like time slowed to a near stop. Aurora felt dizzy as she gazed into the depths of those mysterious eyes she loved so much. In that moment, she forgot their short-lived argument. All that mattered was the love and devotion she saw hidden in the faery's eyes. She knew that no matter what happened, Maleficent would be right there, that she wouldn't leave, even if Aurora asked her to. Maleficent was incapable of leaving her.

From the stories Diaval regaled her with in secret, Maleficent had tried, but as time progressed, she ended up saving Aurora's life again and again when her "aunts" proved incapable of such a task. And each time, according to Diaval, Maleficent found it increasingly more difficult to leave Aurora alone.

"Let's go upstairs," Aurora said as she tugged gently on Maleficent's robes. She was mildly surprised that Maleficent followed her without much effort.

As soon as they were upstairs, Aurora methodically helped Maleficent out of her robes before pulling her own off. She gently pulled Maleficent into their bed and snuggled close to her faery. The moment their skin made contact, she shivered, but she did not do anything about it. It simply wasn't the right time, not so soon after an argument that she felt was still unsettled. Still, she was going to take comfort in being close to Maleficent. She hummed contently when she felt strong arms wrap around her stomach and pull her close.

"I am sorry if I upset you, beastie," Maleficent muttered against her ear.

"I understand, Maleficent. I might not like it, but I understand…" She whimpered when she felt full lips pressed against her pulse point.

"Do you still want me to train you?"

"Yes…" Aurora hissed. She turned so that she could kiss Maleficent on the lips.

Maleficent chuckled dryly. "Then you'd better get your rest, love."

Aurora sighed, but she did not try to argue. She scooted closer, and as soon as Maleficent's wings draped over them, she closed her eyes.

_To be continued…_


	14. Chapter 13

**A/N: I would just like to thank Coco for the packets of smut dust. Those helped to get this chapter to come together. The stuff got everywhere… This chapter is mostly smut. If that is offensive, I recommend you skip ahead at the first break. If you clicked on this story for the smut, well, here you go. Have fun… **

**Chapter 13**

Aurora raised her sword to block Maleficent's blow that was aimed at her head. She panted as her muscles burned with the effort it took to lift her sword after several hours of training and then sparring that day. Sweat beaded her brow and drenched most of the rest of her body. Their blades clashed, and the sound carried throughout the small clearing they were using to spar.

Aurora's lessons had been going on for a full moon cycle, and she had the bruises and welts to show for it. Since her lessons started, Maleficent's blows were sure to hurt. Pain was a good teacher, if applied correctly, or at least that is what Maleficent told her from the beginning. After the first few beatings, Aurora became determined to avoid her lover striking her. Of course, Maleficent always treated her for any injuries at the end of each day, and Aurora did look forward to these moments they shared. Still, she would much rather avoid being injured altogether...

The way Maleficent's eyes glinted with excitement made Aurora nervous. Whenever her lover got that look during their sparring matches meant that whatever was about to happen, Aurora wouldn't like it.

She backed away quickly and thrust her sword at the opening Maleficent left at her left hip. Maleficent's grin widened, even as Aurora's blade nicked her.

Maleficent twisted away from Aurora's blade. She twirled her own blade and whacked Aurora in the gut with enough force to send the exiled queen to her knees.

Aurora groaned as she curled into a ball. She was glad that Maleficent was so adamant about using a blunt edged blade for their training sessions, specifically at times such as this.

"How bad did I hurt you?" Maleficent asked, concerned.

Aurora shot her lover a glare, but could not quite manage to say anything. Pain radiated throughout her entire body, but her stomach was the worst of it. Tears leaked from her eyes, despite the fact that she blinked them away.

"You overextended your thrust," Maleficent said as she knelt down and stroked Aurora's sweat-damp hair.

"Can we discuss this later?" Aurora begged in a groan.

Her pride was more wounded than anything else. In a month of training, she had barely touched Maleficent, while she received a beating day after day. She felt humiliated at how slow she progressed when Lord Gregory was amassing an army. Each time Maleficent beat her, she had always done something wrong: blocked when she should've rolled; parried when she should've blocked; thrust when she should've bludgeoned; held the grip too tight; held the grip too loose; no matter what she did, it wasn't right.

"Aurora?"

"Help me up?"

She winced as Maleficent lifted her up. She rested her head against her lover's shoulder and breathed in her earthly scent. She found it soothing, especially after such an exhausting training exercise.

"Tired, beastie?"

"Mmhm," she hummed tiredly. She barely opened her eyes. "I just had a certain dark faery try and hit me since lunch…"

"There was no trying about it," Maleficent replied. "I hit you. Perhaps I need to add another incentive?" She arched her brow.

"And what do you have in mind?"

* * *

><p>"I can think of a few things." Maleficent lightly kissed Aurora's nose, making her giggle. The sound made Maleficent smile, and she cradled her beastie closer as she spotted the cottage.<p>

Once inside the cottage, Maleficent settled Aurora in a chair closest to the fireplace and unbuckled their swords. She leaned the blades against the wall before returning to Aurora and placed a tender kiss on her forehead.

"I'm going to prepare a hot bath for you," she explained, and then went outside to retrieve the tub and fetch water from the well.

She hauled the water inside, one bucket at a time and steamed it over the fire before dumping it into the tub. As soon as the tub was filled with steaming water, she gently eased Aurora out of her clothes and tossed the dirty garments aside to be washed later.

She waited for Aurora to nod before she started to scrub away at the grime. Every day followed much of the same routine. She rose with the sun and did her morning patrol of the Moors. Sometimes, she held counsel with Balthazar and the other ents regarding the defenses of the Moors. She gathered breakfast for her and Aurora to bring back to the cottage. They ate together, and then Maleficent helped Aurora with her training. Before their daily sparring matches, she instructed Aurora on form and strength and stamina building exercises. Over the month, Maleficent had seen Aurora vastly improve. She had also seen a change in Aurora's demeanor; the queen was quieter and more serious than she had been in the past.

The change had disturbed Maleficent at first, but she also understood that it was rooted largely in the whole business with Lord Gregory. They also did not know if Diaval lived.

Maleficent tried not to think about her missing companion much. It simply hurt too much. She instead focused her energy on what was right in front of her, and that was getting Aurora prepared for war, which was no easy task.

It hurt her each time she hit Aurora. She didn't care if it was to give her beastie a better chance at survival. It still felt wrong…

"Malle…?"

Maleficent pushed her thoughts away. When she returned to the present, Aurora was looking into her eyes. "Yes, beastie?"

"When this is all over, and we've rescued Diaval and restored order to my kingdom, I want to abdicate the throne."

Maleficent hid her shock behind a blank mask. She considered Aurora's words while she paused in scrubbing her beastie's shoulders. "You've put some thought into this," she stated.

Aurora nodded slowly. "The men on my council make it almost impossible for me to be an effective queen."

"You could just get rid of them," Maleficent suggested. She wanted to take the words back, to be able to openly support Aurora's decision. She wanted to be greedy, but she felt that she owed Aurora the chance to make that decision after having all options available.

Aurora shook her head. "That would be perceived as a tyrannical move, and make people try to take my life."

Maleficent's lip curled into a snarl at the very thought of anyone trying to assassinate her beastie. She blinked when she realized that Aurora was caressing her cheek. She leaned into the comforting touch and took a few breaths.

"Besides, I was never happy as queen," she continued with a soft smile. "I also had more freedom as a peasant than as queen."

Maleficent inched forward slowly. She kissed her beastie. It was slow and uncertain at first; she was still hesitant showing any sort of display of affection, even for her beastie. Even after years of rebuilding her life and recovering from the abuse she endured from Stefan, she could not completely get over that pain. But she would try to for her beastie.

The kiss deepened. She parted her mouth for Aurora's tongue. She sucked on the muscle lightly before releasing it. She nipped Aurora's bottom lip, and her lover gasped in a way that sent pleasant shivers down her spine. She cupped her beastie's face between her hands, as the kiss grew more eager before she hesitantly pulled back.

They panted and pressed their foreheads together. Maleficent licked her lips, still tasting Aurora. She wanted so much more. A need she felt so many times before that she was slowly becoming familiar with reared its head, demanding that she take things further. She shuddered and felt revolted by what her instincts were pressing her to do.

_'No!'_ she screamed inside her own head. She pulled back from Aurora. _'Not until she says she's ready!'_

She was dizzy with desire. The way her body was reacting to Aurora frightened her. She had never felt that way before, for anyone; even Stefan could not make her feel this way. What frightened her most was that she might harm Aurora. She was also afraid of Aurora hurting her years down the road, though not to the same degree.

She growled. It was all because of Stefan and what he did to her. Even in death, he was tormenting her. She cursed him for what he was doing to her now.

She didn't know much about the human concept of heaven and hell, but if they did exist, she hoped that Stefan was in the deepest depths of hell, and even that was too nice of a punishment for him.

"Malle?" Aurora slowly climbed out of the tub. Her nudeness had never looked more appealing to Maleficent, who just stared, taking in every curve and dimple.

Her throat felt suddenly very dry. Sure, she had seen Aurora naked many times, especially recently. But she had never been so _aroused_ when looking at her beastie.

"Malle? What's wrong?"

Maleficent swallowed the lump lodged in her throat. She blinked, trying desperately to think straight, but failing to do so.

"I—you—we—"

Aurora's giggle at Maleficent's inability to formulate words made the faery blush. Her wings drooped slightly in shame.

"Malle, love, don't be embarrassed."

"Who said anything about being embarrassed?" Maleficent sniffed indignantly.

Aurora crossed her arms across her chest. "Honestly, Maleficent, what's got you acting so cold all of a sudden? You were kissing me just a moment ago."

Maleficent glanced at Aurora through her eyelashes. She tried to deduce whether or not she should be upfront with her beastie. She would not push Aurora into anything she wasn't ready for. She had never felt so lost as to what she was supposed to do. When it came to her budding romance with her beastie, she was constantly at a complete loss as to what was acceptable to humans. She knew that it was unorthodox for humans to be in relationships with members of the same sex; a fact that Aurora seemed insistent to ignore, not that Maleficent cared what humans might think if they were to find out about them. Faeries did not have the same taboos as humans.

"I want you, Malle," Aurora said in barely more than a whisper. Maleficent wasn't sure if she heard correctly until Aurora's dripping body was pressed up against her.

She growled low in her throat as her hands flew to Aurora's waist, and she pushed Aurora back against the wall. She pinned her lover there and gazed down at her with an intense flame blazing in her eyes.

* * *

><p>Aurora's heart thudded wildly as Maleficent held her against the wall. She tilted her head back, and her breath hitched in a gasp.<p>

The things Maleficent was doing to her, words could not adequately describe. She could only drown in the bliss, and she did so willingly. The way Maleficent licked, sucked, kissed, and nipped at Aurora's flesh made her feel _alive_.

"Malle…" Aurora moaned.

Maleficent pulled back suddenly, much to Aurora's disappointment. Her eyes were filled with lust, but concern was also there, if Aurora looked hard enough. "Beastie…"

Aurora shivered at the way Maleficent said her pet name. She pressed closer to Maleficent and wiggled her hips. "Don't stop…" she whispered.

"Aurora…!" Maleficent groaned. Her hands went to Aurora's ass, and she gave the smooth cheeks a firm squeeze. She bit down into Aurora's neck, and the younger woman gasped in a mix of pain and pleasure. "We should go upstairs," she whispered huskily into Aurora's ear.

Aurora agreed. She took Maleficent's hand and led her to her room. With each step she took, nervousness took root in her gut. She was afraid that she wouldn't be good enough for Maleficent. It was a ridiculous fear, but she couldn't help it.

As soon as they kicked the door shut, Aurora fumbled with Maleficent's robes. She struggled to get the offending clothes off.

Maleficent chuckled lightly. She took Aurora's hands in her own and gently pulled them away from her robes. "Here, let me help," she murmured with a small smile. She slowly undid the knots holding her robes up.

Aurora got impatient and almost reached out to rip the fabric from Maleficent's body, but she stayed her hands at the stern look in Maleficent's eyes. She huffed indignantly and pouted.

"You're doing this on purpose," she sniffed.

Humor glinted in Maleficent's eyes. "Doing what on purpose?"

"Taking your time…"

Maleficent chortled. It was uncharacteristic of her to do so, but Aurora didn't care. The sound was beautiful; she wished her lover would laugh more often.

"When did you become such a fiend?"

"As soon as you started teasing me," Aurora replied with narrowed eyes.

Maleficent flashed her a wicked smile as she shimmied out of her robes. They fell in a pool at her feet. Her wings stretched out before furling back.

Aurora's mouth watered at the glorious sight her eyes were drinking in. She could hardly imagine a more beautiful view.

She stepped forward and boldly threw her arms around Maleficent's neck. When she went in for what she was intending to be a heated kiss, their noses collided painfully. She grunted, a little stunned.

"Are you alright?" Maleficent asked quickly. A hint of a smile touched her lips.

Aurora giggled. "I'm fine, Malle."

"Let me kiss it to make sure." And Maleficent kissed the bridge of Aurora's nose tenderly.

Aurora continued to giggle as Maleficent peppered her face with pecking kisses. They tickled, but she wasn't going to complain; she enjoyed the attention and the way Maleficent was able to relax in her company.

She pressed her hips against Maleficent. Her lover sighed, and Aurora found it lovely. She began moving in sensual circles until Maleficent's hands flew down to hold her still.

"You try my patience, beastie…"

"Then have your way with me," Aurora whispered in a challenge. She looked at Maleficent through hooded lashes, and she heard her lover growl.

Maleficent pushed her toward the bed; she went willingly. When she bounced on the mattress and had the faery sauntering over to her like a predator stalking her prey, her heart skipped a couple beats.

Panic welled up in her once again. She had no idea what to expect, and for the first time since she could remember, the idea of the unknown really frightened her. She instinctively covered herself.

"Beastie?"

The concern and hesitation Aurora saw in Maleficent's eyes as her lover hovered over her made her want to cry.

"Aurora… I can stop if that is what you wish."

"No!" Aurora said, almost too quickly. She cupped Maleficent's cheek and leaned up for their most tender kiss to date. "I want this."

"Are you sure?"

Aurora nodded. "I've just…never… I haven't…"

"Sh, I know, Aurora. I promise I won't do anything to hurt you. Just say the word, and everything stops."

Aurora gazed deep into Maleficent's eyes and saw the depth of the truth her lover left unspoken. Tears sprang to her eyes, and she smashed her lips against Maleficent's.

She hissed when she felt sharpened nails trail down from her collarbone to her stomach. The touch sent a path of pleasant Goosebumps along her flesh.

"Malle…!" she gasped.

* * *

><p>Maleficent watched Aurora's reactions to everything she did. She was fully expecting her young lover to relinquish consent, and she was prepared to stop everything in that instant, but until then, she was going to move forward, slowly.<p>

She leaned down to experimentally take Aurora's nipple into her mouth. When Aurora jumped and squeaked, she almost pulled away, but she began to suck eagerly when Aurora held her there.

"Malle…please…"

The sound of her begging sent jolts of pleasure down her spine. She released Aurora's nipple with a pop. She looked into Aurora's pleading blue eyes and smirked impishly. "You know, I rather like hearing you begging," she purred seductively.

"Please…"

Maleficent smirked impishly before she lowered her mouth to her beasty's neck. She nipped at the exposed flesh until Aurora groaned. She gently kissed the bruising skin when she felt her beasty gripping her horns. Her hand trailed down the valley between Aurora's breasts and her stomach, and she stopped just short of her goal.

"Gn! Malle…!" Aurora moaned as she lifted her hips off the bed.

"Patience, beastie," Maleficent purred. She looked down at Aurora's face, which was scrunched up in a mix of pleasure and exasperation. They way her beastie bit her lower lip made her thrust her hips forward to grind against Aurora.

Ecstasy traveled down her spine on contact. She continued to grind her hips against Aurora. The act got her lover to utter the most scandalous sounds to ever grace her ears, and she reveled in it. She slowly picked up speed and began rotating her hips.

Aurora's hands flew to where Maleficent's wings met her back. Her nails dug into flesh, and she tried to meet Maleficent's rhythm, but it quickly became impossible to keep up. Her ankles hooked around her lover.

Her toes curled as Maleficent brought her closer to that euphoric feeling she wanted so badly. Just as she tilted her head back and let out her loudest moan yet, Maleficent pulled away. Now beyond frustrated, she glared up at her mischievous lover. "Why'd you stop?" she demanded in a whine.

Maleficent kissed her brow gently. "I want to savor the moment."

Aurora groaned in annoyance. "Malle…! _Please_…!"

"Sh…" Maleficent caressed her cheek. "Are you sure you want to continue?"

Aurora's impatience flared. She gripped Maleficent's horns and made her lover look into her eyes. "Yes," she insisted, almost impatiently. "Malle, I _want_ this; I want _you_."

She gasped when she felt nimble fingers attack her nether regions. Her hips shot up, but Maleficent held her firmly down.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, Maleficent and her beastie held each other; their limbs were a tangled mess. Maleficent listened to Aurora's soft snores. She lightly stroked her lover's blonde locks and pulled her closer.<p>

"Malle…"

She glanced down and blinked. Aurora was still sleeping soundly. She smiled softly.

"Love you…"

"I love you too, beastie." She planted a kiss on her beastie's brow before she drew her wings around them and fell into the most contented sleep she had experienced in over twenty long years.

* * *

><p>He sighed heavily as yet another report from his generals passed over his desk. Every able-bodied man had been collected, and they were now being trained and fitted with armor and weapons. He frowned. They were not moving fast enough. He wanted to take the Moors sooner rather than later. He knew that was where Aurora and her witch were hiding, and he could not risk the exiled queen challenging his illegitimate claim to the throne.<p>

He glared at the strained caw that came from the cage hanging from the ceiling. His lips curled up into an unpleasant sneer as he leered at the raven.

"Soon, that witch and that meddlesome woman will be out of my way," he told the raven.

His expression soured when a knock rapped on the door. He turned and bade the person to enter.

It was his highest general, a seasoned soldier who served under King Stefan. His auburn hair was streaked with silver. His lined face had a couple scars; one was across the bridge of his hooked nose, and the other was down his right eye. An eye patch covered his useless eye. He bowed. "King Gregory. You wished to see me, Your Highness?" He glanced up expectantly.

"Yes," Gregory replied. He grabbed a scroll from his table. "I want you to send your most trustworthy men to deliver a message."

"It will be done."

"See to it that it is; now leave me."

Gregory thrust the scroll into his general's hands and watched the old soldier march out of the chamber. He ran his hand over his grizzled face. The past month had been long. Every few days, he had to execute someone for speaking against him; he could not afford dissent to remove him from the throne.

He slammed his fist against the table when the raven's caws got insistent. It wasn't the raven that upset him so much as the fact that it should be his son on the throne, not him. If that witch had not murdered his son in cold blood, then William could have married Aurora, and that would leave Gregory to manipulate things from the shadows. He grimaced sourly. That could not be helped now. What was done was done. But that also left the kingdom heirless.

A second knock disturbed him from his thoughts. "Enter."

The door opened to reveal a burly guard and a frightened looking girl. The girl is what grabbed his attention. She was a slim thing, but she had curves. Her brunette hair was done in a loose bun with ringlets for bangs. She wore a simplistic burgundy dress. Her wide eyes were searching the chamber; she was probably searching for a way out.

"Shae," he greeted with false pleasantness. He turned to the sentinel. "Leave us."

_To be continued…_


	15. Chapter 14

**A/N: I apologize for the delay. My life is starting to pick up pace, at least temporarily. **

**Chapter 14**

When Aurora woke the following morning, she was pleasantly surprised to find Maleficent still there. She had honestly expected to find herself alone when she woke, and she was glad that she wasn't. She smiled and relaxed to enjoy the moment, for times like these rarely occurred between them, not with the war preparations. She frowned at the thought of the war.

She had no idea how to fight a war. These thoughts, and many others that were equally unpleasant, had plagued her mind many times over the last month, and she still did not get anywhere. She wanted to figure out a way to get through this war without any loss of life, but that was impossible. She knew that, but she still wanted to solve this impossible puzzle. She screamed internally so she didn't wake Maleficent. Everything was becoming too much for her to handle, and she didn't want to burden Maleficent any further.

"Beastie?" Maleficent murmured drowsily.

Aurora looked up. She forced a strained smile and kissed her lover on the lips. "Good morning, Malle."

"It seems I have slept in," Maleficent said.

"Did you sleep well?"

"Better than I have in years, beastie." She stroked Aurora's cheek before she kissed her again.

Aurora smiled. She forgot about the thoughts that plagued her mind, at least for the moment. "I'm glad." She laughed like she did in the days of her youth.

Maleficent smiled as well. The seemingly small gesture was all the light Aurora needed in her world. It reminded her that there was still hope that everything would work out for them, and at that moment, she needed to hold onto whatever hope she could.

"I should go," Maleficent said stiffly.

Aurora frowned. She didn't want the moment, which she thought perfect, to come to an end. She twisted so that she could hug Maleficent. "Do you have to?"

Maleficent chuckled and wrapped her arms securely around Aurora. "I'll have breakfast when I return, my sweet beastie."

"I wish I could go with you."

Aurora leaned into Maleficent's touch when she caressed her cheek. She closed her eyes when the faery kissed her forehead. Her eyes remained closed for several minutes after Maleficent left their bed. In the absence of her lover, she felt chilled. She pulled her quilt around herself. When she reopened her eyes, Maleficent was gone. She started sobbing before she could help herself.

It was a while before she was reduced to the occasional hiccup and shaky breath, but once she regained control of herself, she got dressed in her training leathers. Each movement was measured to not cause pain from her bruises and welts that were added from the previous day's training exercise, as well as their more recent nocturnal activities. Maleficent had left her feeling sore, but not necessarily in a bad way. The memory brought a small smile to her face; she wondered if she made Maleficent feel the same way.

She padded down the stairs to the dining area, where Maleficent had left their swords the previous afternoon. She took hers and unsheathed it with a controlled flick of her wrist. She inspected the blade for any knicks, just as Maleficent had taught her. When she found that the blade was in good order, she proceeded to clean it. At the very least, the task kept her busy and limited her ability to worry about Maleficent as much.

It was always like this, every time the faery left for her morning patrol. While Aurora no longer brought it up, she still worried that one of Lord Gregory's soldiers would catch her, and she wouldn't know about it until it was too late. She knew that it was pointless bringing up her concerns because every time she did, Maleficent became her old stony self; it was like talking to a wall, and so Aurora bore her pain in silence.

Aurora nearly dropped her sword when she heard the beating of wings coming from outside. Her heart skipped a beat. Something wasn't right. Maleficent always walked back to the cottage.

She took her sword and ran outside. All the blood rushed out of her face at the sight that met her eyes. About fifty soldiers were marching toward the cottage.

_'No!'_ she thought in her panic. She searched for their banner, and her heart sank. The escutcheon was azure, with a gules chevron. The animal on the banner was a bear.

"Aurora!"

She looked up at the screech. Within seconds, Maleficent landed next to her.

"Maleficent!" She flung herself into her lover's waiting arms for a bone-crushing embrace. She didn't care that she couldn't breathe. Right now, she needed reassurance that Maleficent was right there. She buried her face into Maleficent's breasts.

"Aurora—hold on tight."

She did as she was told. She squeaked when she felt Maleficent push off from the ground and race toward the sky. Normally, she would be excited for the chance to fly with Maleficent, but this was the first time she felt dread instead of the refreshing sensation of the wind whipping at her face.

Lord Gregory's soldiers had found them... They didn't have anywhere else to run to. This was it. She wasn't ready... Her grip around Maleficent's neck tightened, and she let out a choked sob. "I don't want to die..."

"I won't let them hurt you, Aurora," Maleficent promised.

Instead of being comforted by the oath, Aurora's heart clenched. She didn't want to know what Maleficent was willing to do in order to keep her safe, but she knew that it wasn't going to be pretty. But what she dreaded most of all was the thought of losing her. Her fingers tangled in Maleficent's silky hair.

* * *

><p>Maleficent flapped her wings for all they were worth. She <em>had<em> to get as high into the air as possible. Her strong arms held Aurora close. As soon as she got outside the range of the archers, having dodged several arrows in her ascent, she raced toward the Moors. It was harder with Aurora, and she was slowed down due to carrying extra weight, but it still didn't take her long to get to the border of the Moors.

As soon as she landed, she gently set Aurora back to her feet. "Aurora?" She watched for the subtlest of signs of any change in her lover's demeanor. What she saw was a horror stricken face: pale skin, furrowed eyebrows, wide eyes that didn't seem to comprehend anything in the present, and a deep-set frown. Every other beat, there was a slight twitch, but nothing else to indicate what Aurora was feeling or thinking in that moment.

"Aurora?" she repeated, more firmly this time. She even shook her shoulders a bit to try to get a response.

"Huh?"

"Did you recognize those men?" Maleficent demanded.

Aurora bit her bottom lip. "They're carrying Lord Gregory's standard…"

Maleficent snarled a curse, and her eyes flashed dangerously. "Aurora, I want you to run to my Rowan."

"What? No! If you're fighting, then so am I!"

"Don't argue with me, Aurora!" Maleficent snapped. Her wings spread in a threatening display. Green magic swirled around her hands.

"I won't leave you!" Aurora cried.

"We don't have time for this! Leave, now!"

"Not without you!"

"Aurora!" Maleficent grabbed her, a little rougher than she had intended, and kissed her deeply on the lips. "I love you, beastie. But I can't fight while I'm worried about whether or not you're safe. I _need_ you to go to the Rowan, where I know you'll be safe."

* * *

><p>Aurora couldn't believe that Maleficent was attempting to dismiss her. Anger flooded through her. "And leave you alone to face Lord Gregory's soldiers? I think not!" She looked directly into Maleficent's blazing green eyes without flinching back. "I'm staying, one way or another."<p>

"Please…Aurora…"

"We're in this together, Maleficent. You said that."

"You're not—" Maleficent did not get the chance to finish whatever she had been about to say as an arrow whizzed past them. The faery grabbed Aurora and twirled them away from a second arrow.

Aurora's heart raced. This was it. She was about to face her first actual battle. Instead of excitement she had heard told from young nobles who regaled her with tales of adventure and excitement in an attempt to woo her, she felt dread.

"Witch of the Moors!"

Aurora turned with Maleficent to face the general who addressed the Protector. She glared at him for referring to her as such, but she remained still. She seethed at him, but she had a feeling that it was nothing compared to Maleficent. Her lover was just much better than her at hiding her emotions. She took the small reprieve to calculate the amount of troops they were up against; it didn't look promising. "Malle…"

"You and the pretender queen have one last chance to surrender peacefully!"

Aurora shared a panicked glance with Maleficent. She shook her head. She had no intention of going peacefully, not after the last time, and she was fairly certain that Maleficent felt the same way. If she was going to die, she was going to do so fighting to protect what she loved. Her grip on her sword tightened in preparation for what she knew was coming.

"Be brave, Aurora," Maleficent murmured in her ear. Her voice was strained, likely as a result of Aurora defying her. The younger of the two lovers was going to pay for that, later.

"I love you, Maleficent," Aurora replied through the single tear that trailed down her cheek. They shared a deep look that conveyed everything they either couldn't or wouldn't say.

"Archers!"

Aurora grimaced. She watched helplessly as the archers knocked their arrows and aimed at her and Maleficent. She held her sword in a defensive stance, but knew that it would do no good to fend off a volley of arrows.

Just before the archers could release their arrows, Maleficent lunged into the air and beat her powerful wings down on them. The gusts sent the soldiers to their backs. Even Aurora stumbled a little.

When she got back to her feet, the ents were marching past her. After a moment of watching in wonder, she ran with them and echoed their cries.

Soon, all around her was chaos. Soldiers cried out when the tree spirits pummeled them. The ents let out horrific cries as the soldiers fought back just as viciously.

Aurora blocked, parried, and stabbed any soldier who got within reach. She quickly lost track of Maleficent, save for hearing high-pitched cries off in the distance. All she knew was that her lover was still fighting, and that was all that mattered to her. She cringed each time she stabbed a man, and his blood splattered over her face.

The skirmish seemed to go on forever. For every soldier that fell, two more seemed to take his place. That left Aurora feeling quite drained, even early on. When she heard the horn to retreat, she fell to her knees in a pool of blood. Her mind was blank, and her body on fire. She couldn't even bring herself to sob for the lives she took.

* * *

><p>"Aurora!" Maleficent landed near her lover. Her left wing was broken, and it twitched and throbbed painfully. That was the worst of the damage done to her. There were a few cuts from iron blades, but those would soon heal. She limped over to Aurora.<p>

The hallow glaze in Aurora's eyes made her hesitate momentarily. She took a minute to observe what was in front of her. Aurora's face was splattered with the blood of those she had killed. There were some obvious cuts all over her body, but none of them appeared that deep. She was also sitting in a pool of blood with dead soldiers lying all around her.

"Beastie…" Maleficent slowly inched toward her in the hopes that she didn't startle her. She held her hands up in a placating gesture. When she got close enough to Aurora, she knelt next to her lover and placed her hands on her shoulders before bringing her in for what was meant to be a comforting embrace. What shocked her was the fact that Aurora went stiff. She pulled back. "Aurora?"

"You're hurt…" Aurora murmured.

Maleficent's heart clenched painfully. Even after everything, her beastie was more concerned with others than herself. Her eyes softened, and she reached out to cup her beastie's cheek. "Come, let's get washed up…" She helped Aurora to her feet.

"Balthazar, see to the bodies of the dead?" she asked as she turned to the sentry. He inclined his head before she led Aurora away from the battlefield.

Maleficent led Aurora back to the cottage, and she was relieved to find it unmolested. She had expected the soldiers to burn it to the ground, but perhaps they were unaware that was where she and Aurora were hiding. She caught her beastie each time she stumbled. Once inside, she settled Aurora in the nearest chair to the fireplace. She gently pried Aurora's fingers off the grip of her sword and set it aside. She gripped her beastie's chin, not roughly, but firm enough that she could make Aurora look into her eyes.

"Aurora?"

Aurora's eyes flashed with recognition, but it was gone as quickly as it came. Her once vibrant blue eyes were now a pale grey, and that worried Maleficent.

"Aurora, say something…please." For the first time since Maleficent could remember, pleading didn't leave a foul taste in her mouth. She simply wanted Aurora to say something, anything. If she could just get Aurora talking, maybe she could figure out what to do.

"I killed them…" Aurora whispered.

Maleficent frowned. She could not think of what she could possibly say in this situation, so she resorted to hugging her beastie close and shushed her as the sobs broke through. "You fought bravely," she finally murmured.

It was a long while before Aurora succumbed to her exhaustion. Maleficent continued to hold her close, simply thankful that she didn't have to bury her beastie. She wept at the thought of ever losing Aurora, even though she knew that there was a distinct possibility of that happening, especially with this war.

* * *

><p>When Aurora returned to full consciousness, Maleficent was sobbing. She furrowed her eyebrows.<p>

_'That's odd,'_ she thought. _'Maleficent never cries.'_

She shifted so that she could run her thumb over the trail of tears running down Maleficent's cheeks. "Malle…?"

"Let's get you cleaned up," Maleficent murmured. She smiled, but Aurora could tell that it was strained. Still, she nodded numbly, not wanting to bring it up and potentially start an argument. She was far too exhausted to fight anymore.

She sat quietly while Maleficent dragged in the water and heated it over the fire. She barely registered what was happening around her; she was still lost in her own thoughts and reliving the battle.

"Aurora…?"

She tilted her head to gaze at Maleficent. Upon her lover's coaxing, she stood and allowed the faery to remove her soiled leathers. She followed Maleficent to the tub, but she felt that she was not in control of her body.

The water was hot. It should've soothed her sore muscles, but instead it left her feeling more hallow.

She scooted over to allow Maleficent to join her and leaned her head against her shoulder and closed her eyes.

* * *

><p>Maleficent wrapped her arms around Aurora and hummed softly while her beastie whimpered. She held her close until the water started to go cold. At that point, she gently ran the washrag over Aurora's skin. She hesitated whenever Aurora hissed because she touched one of her many cuts, but slowly continued. She was sure to clean every one of Aurora's new wounds. With each one she cleaned, rage continued to boil just under the surface of her self-control. Her anger would fuel her for when she finally could face Lord Gregory in Aurora's name and slowly crush the life out of him, for he would not receive the quick death his son had.<p>

"Do you want to retire to our bed, beastie?" she asked in an attempt to distract her from such thoughts.

"Mmhm…"

Her eyes softened as she lifted Aurora out of the tub. She shifted so that she could cradle her and carried her up the stairs and to their bed.

She held Aurora through the night. She did not sleep much because every time Aurora drifted off, she freaked out, and Maleficent had to calm her down. The flailing and punching aggravated her broken wing, but she said nothing about it. She bore the pain because she knew that Aurora would never willingly hurt her, and she didn't want Aurora to feel guilty.

"Oh, Aurora…" she murmured as she silently wept.

_To be continued…_


End file.
